be ashamed of that he suffreth as a christian in Christs cause for now is the time that iudgement and correctiō must begin at the house of god and if it begin first at vs what shal be the end of those thinke ye which beleue not the gospell And if the righteous shal be hardly saued the wicked and the sinner wher shal he appeare Wherfore they which are afflicted accordyng to the wil of god let them lay down and commit their soules to hym by wel doyng as to a trusty and faithful maker This as I said may not seme straunge to vs for we know that all the whole fraternity of christes congregatiō in this world is serued with the like by the same is made perfect For the feruēt loue that the apostles had vnto their maister Christe and for the great cōmodities increase of all godlines which they felt by theyr faith to ensue of afflictiōs in Christs cause thirdly for the heapes of heauenly ioyes which the same doe get vnto the godly which shal indure in heauen for euermore for these causes I say the apostles of theyr afflictions did ioy and reioiced in that they were had and accompted worthy to suffer cōtumelies and rebukes for christes name And Paule as he gloried in the grace and fauour of god whereunto he was brought and stode in by faith so he reioyced in his afflictions for the heauenly and spiritual profits which he numbreth to ryse vpon them yea he was so farre in loue with that that the carnal man lotheth so much 1. Cor. 2. that is with Christes crosse that he iudged himself to know nothing els but Christ crucified be wil glory he saith in nothyng elses but in Christes crosse yea he blesseth all those as the only true Israelits and elect people of god with peace and mercye which walketh after that rule and after none other O Lord what a wonderfull spirit was that that made Paule in setting forth of himself against the vanity of Satans Pseu dopostels and in hys clayme there that he in Christes cause dyd excel passe thē al 2. Cor. 11 what wonderful Spirit was that I say that made him to recken vp al his troubles his labors his beatīgs his whippings scourgings his shipwracks his daūgers and perils by water and by land his famyne hunger nakednes and cold with many moe and the daily care of all the congregations of Christ among whom euery mans paine did pearce his heart and euery mans griefe was greuous vnto him O Lord is this Paules Primacy wherof he thought so much good that he did excel other Is not this Paules saying vnto Timothy hys own scholler 2. Timo. 2 doth it not pertaine to whosoeuer will be Christes true souldiours beare thou saith he the afflictiōs like a good souldiour of Iesu Christ This is true if we die with him he meaneth Christ we shall liue with him if we suffer with him we shal raign with hym if we deny him he shall denye vs if we be faithlesse he remayneth faythefull he cannot denye himselfe Thys Paule woulde haue knowen to euerye body for there is none other waye to heauen 2. Tim. 3 but Christ and hys waye and all that wyll lyue godlye in Christe shall sayeth Sayncte Paule suffer persecution By thys way went to heauen the Patryarckes the Prophetes Christ our maister hys Apostels hys Martyrs al the godly since the beginnyng And as it hath ben of old that he which was born after the flesh Gal. 4 persecuteth hym whych was borne after the spirit for so it was in Isaackes tyme so sayd Saynt Paule it was in hys tyme also And whether it be so or no nowe lette the Spyrytuall man the selfe same man I meane that is indued wyth the Spirite of almighty God let hym bee Iudge Of the crosse of the Patryarckes as ye may read in their stories if ye reade the booke of Genesis ye shall perceyue Of other Saint Paule in few words comprehendeth much matter speakyng in a generalitie of the wonderful afflictions death and tormentes whiche the men of God in gods cause and for the truth sake willingly and gladly dyd suffer Heb. 11. After much perticuler rehersal of many he saith other wer racked and despised would not be deliuered that thei might obtayne a better resurrection Other againe were tryed with mockinges and scourgings and moreouer with bondes and imprisonment they were stoned hewen a sunder tempted fel and were slain vpon the edge of the sword some wandred to and fro in shepes pilches in goates pylches forsaken oppressed afflicted such godly mē as the world was vnworthy of wandryng in wildernes in mountains in caues and in dennes and all these were commended for their faith And yet they abide for vs the seruaunts of god for those theyr brethren which are to be slayn as they wer for the worde of gods sake that none be shut oute but that we may all go together to meete oure maister Christe in the ayre at his commyng and so to be in blisse with hym in body and in soule for euermore Therefore seyng we haue so muche occasion to suffer and to take afflictions for Christes names sake pacientlye so many commodities thereby so waightye causes so manye good examples so greate necessitye so sure promises of eternall life and heauenlye ioyes of hym that cannot lie Let vs throwe away whatsoeuer might let vs all burden of synne and all kynde of carnalitie and patiently and constantly let vs ronne for the beste game in thys race that is set before vs euer hauyng our eyes vpon Iesus Christ the ryngleader Heb. 12. capitain and perfiter of our fayth which for the ioy that was set before him endured the crosse not passyng vpon the ignomy shame therof and is set now at the right hand of the throne of god Consider this that he suffred such strife of synners against hym selfe that ye shoulde not geue ouer nor fainte in your myndes As yet brethren we haue notwithstande vnto death fyghtyng against synne Let vs neuer forget deare brethren for Christes sake that fatherly exhortatiō of the wyse that speaketh vnto vs as vnto hys children the godly wisdome of god saying thus my sonne despise not the correction of the Lord nor fall not from hym when thou art rebuked of hym for whom the Lorde loueth hym doth he correcte and scourgeth euery childe whome he receyueth what chylde is he whome the father doth not chasten If ye be free from chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastardes and no children Seyng then when as we haue had carnal parents which chastened vs we we reuerenced them shall not we much more be subiect vnto oure spirituall father that we myght lyue And they for a little tyme taught vs after theyr owne mynd but this father teacheth vs to our commoditye Heb. 12. to geue vnto vs hys holines Al chastisement for
brimstone stormye tempestes Whose Palace and home shall be hell fyre and darkenesse Whose cheare shall be weping and gnashing of teeth Whose song shal be woe woe woe from the which the lord of mercye deliuer vs. My dearely beloued I write not thys as one that thinketh not wel of you but as one that would you dyd wel and therfore to helpe you therto I write as I write Beseching God to open your eyes to see the daungers men be in that dissemble with God and man to the ende you doe not the lyke and also to open your eyes to see the hygh seruice you doe to God in aduenturing your selfe and that you haue for hys sake Oh that mens eyes were opened to see that the glorye of God resteth vppon them that suffer any thyng for his sake Oh that we considered that it is happinesse to suffer any thyng for Christes sake which haue deserued to suffer so much for our synnes iniquities Oh that our eyes were opened to see the great reward they shal haue in heauē which suffer the losse of any thing for Gods sake If we knewe the crosse to be as a purgation moste profitable to the soule as a purifying fyre to burne the drosse awaye of our dyrtinesse and synnes as an ouen to bake vs in to bee the Lordes breade as soope to make vs white as a stewe to mundifie and clense vs as Gods framehouse to make vs lyke to Christe here in sufferyng that we maye be so in reygning then should we not so muche care for thys little shorte sorrowe whiche the fleshe suffereth in it but rather in consideration of the excedyng endlesse ioye and comforte which wyl ensue we should runne fowards in our race after the example of oure Captayne Christ who comforte vs all in our distresse and geue vs the spirite of prayer therein to watche and pray that we be not led into temptation whiche God graunt to vs for euer Amen And thus muche I thoughte good to write to you at thys presente to declare my carefulnesse for the well doinge of you and all youre familye whom I commende with you into the handes and tuition of God oure Father So be it Your owne in the Lorde Iohn Bradford An other letter to Maister George Eaton ALmyghtye God oure heauenlye father recompence aboundauntlye into youre bosome my dearelye-beloued here and eternallye the good whiche from hym by you I haue continuallye receaued sythen my comming into pryson Otherwyse can I neuer be able to requite your louing kindnesse here then by praying for you and after thys lyfe by witnessyng youre faythe declared to me by your fruites when we shal come appeare together before the throne of our sauiour Iesus Christ whether I thāke god I am euē now a going euer loking whē the officers wil come satisfie the precept of the Prelates wherof though I cā not cōplain because I haue iustly deserued an hundreth M. deathes at gods hands by reasō of my sines yet I may and must reioice because the Prelates do not persecute in me mine iniquities but Christ Iesus his veritie so that they persecute not me they hate not me but they persecute Christ they hate Christ And because they cā do him no hurt for he sitteth in heauē laugheth thē their deuises to scorne as one daye they shal feele therfore they turne their rage vpon his pore shepe as Herode their father did vpō the infantes Math. 2. Great cause therfore haue I to reioyce that my deare Sauiour Christ will vouchsafe amongest manye to choose me to bee a vessel of grace to suffer in me which haue deserued so often iustly to suffer for my sinnes that I might be most assured I shal be a vessell of honour in whom he wil be glorifyed Therfore my right dere brother in the lord reioice with me geue thanks for me and cease not to pray the god for his mercies sake woulde make perfect the good he hath begon in me And as for the doctrine which I haue professed preached I vnto you do confesse in writing as to the whole world I shortly shall by gods grace in suffering that it is the verye true doctrine of Iesus Christ of hys Church of hys Prophets Apostles al good men so that if an Aungel shoulde come from heauen and preache otherwyse the same were accursed Therefore wauer not deare hart in the Lord but bee confyrmed in it and as youre vocation requireth when God so wil confesse it though it be perillous so to do The ende shall euidenlye shewe an other manner of pleasure for so doing then tounge can tell Be diligence in prayer and watche therein Vse reuerente reading of Gods worde Set the shortnes of this time before your eies let not the eternitie that is to come depart out of your memorye Practyse in doing that you learne by reading hearing Decline frō euil pursue good Remember thē that be in bondes especially for the Lordes cause as members of your body and fellowe heyres of grace Forget not the afflictions of Sion and the oppression of Ierusalem and god our father shall geue you hys continuall blessing through Christe oure Lorde who guyde vs as hys deare children for euer Amen And thus I take my Vale and farewell wyth you deare brother for euer in thys present lyfe tyl we shal meete in eternall blisse whether our good God and father bring vs shortly Amen God blesse all your babes for euer Amen Oute of pryson thys .8 of Februarye Your afflicted brother for the Lordes cause Iohn Bradford A letter writen to hys Mother as a farewell when he thoughte he shoulde haue suffered shortlye after TThe Lord of lyfe and Sauiour of the world Iesus Christ blesse you and comfort you my good and deare Mother wyth hys heauenly comfort consolation grace and spirite nowe and for euer Amen If I thought that dayly yea almoste hourlye you dyd not crye vpon God the father throughe Iesus Christ that he woulde geue me hys blessing euen the blessing of his children then would I write more hereaboutes But for asmuch as herein I am certayne you are diligente and so I besech you good Mother to continue I thynke it good to write somethyng whereby thys your crying might bee furthered Furthered it wyll be if those thynges which hynder it bee taken away Among the which in that I thynke my imprisonmente is the greatest and chiefest I will there about spend thys letter and that brieflye leaste it myghte encrease the let as my good brother thys brynger can tell you You shall knowe therefore good Mother He meaneth the daūger of more streat imprisonment that might hereby folow that for my bodye thoughe it bee in an house oute of the whiche I can not come when I wyll yet in that I haue conformed my wyll to Gods wyll I finde herein lybertye enoughe I thanke God And for my lodging beddyng meate drinke Godlye
amend it as I thought good The which though both the bishop of Gloucester and also the kyng and Quenes proctors promised me yet haue they altogether broken promise with me and haue not permitted me to correct my sayde aunsweres accordinge to my request and yet notwithstandyng haue as I vnderstande regestred the same as actes formally done in place of iudgemente Finallye forasmuch as all thys my trouble commeth vpon my departinge from the byshop of Rome and from the popishe religion so that nowe the quarel is betwixte the Pope himselfe and me and no man can be a lawfull and indifferente iudge in his owne cause it seemeth me thinke good reason that I should be suffered to appeale to some generall counsell in thys matter speciallye seinge the lawe of nature as they saye denyeth no man the remedye of appeale in such cases Now since it is very requisite that this matter shoulde be kepte as close as mayē be if perhappes for lack of perfect skill herein you shall haue nede of further aduise then I beseche you euen for the fidelity and loue you beare to me in Christ that you wyl open to no creature aliue whose the case is And forasmuch as the time is now at hand and the matter requireth great expeditiō let me obteine thys much of you I beseche you that layng a side all other your studies and busines for the time you wyll applye thys my matter onlye tyll you haue broughte it to passe The chiefeste cause in very deede to tell you the truth of thys myne appeale is that I myghte gayne time if it shall so please God to lyue vntill I haue finished myne aunswere againste Marcus Antonius Constantius which I haue now in hand This Constantius was Steuen Gardiner as constant in dede as a wether cock who thus named him selfe writing against thys good father But if the aduersaryes of the truthe wil not admyt myne appeale as I feare they will not Gods wyl be done I passe not vpon it so that God may therein be glorified be it by my life or by my death For it is muche better for me to dye in Christes quarell to raigne wyth hym then here to be shutte vp kept in the pryson of thys body vnlesse it were to continue yet stil a whyle in this warrefare for the commodity and profite of my Brethren and to the further aduauncyng of Gods glorye to whome be all glorye for euermore Amen There is also yet an other cause whye I thynke good to appeale that where as I am cited to goe to Rome to aunswere there for my selfe I am notwythstandyng kepte her faste in prison that I cannot there appeare at the tyme appoynted And moreouerforasmuch as the state I stande in is a matter of lyfe and death so that I haue greate neede of learned counsel for my defence in thys behalfe yet when I made my earnest request for the same all manner of coūsell and helpe of proctors aduocates and lawers was vtterlye denyed me Your louing frende T.C. To maistres Wilkinson a godlye matrone exhorting her to flye in the time of persecution and to seke her dwellyng where she might serue God accordinge to hys word THe true comforter in all distresse is only God thorow his sonne Iesus Christ and who soeuer hath him hath cōpany enough although he were in a wildernes al alone and he that hath xx thousand in hys company if god be absent is in a miserable wildernes and desolation In hym is all comfort and with out him is none Wherefore I besech you seeke your dwelling there as you may truly and rightly serue God and dwell in hym and haue him euer dwelling in you What can be so heuy a burden as an vnquiet conscience to be in such a place as a mā can not be suffred to serue God in Chrysts true religiō If ye be loth to depart from your kin frendes remember that Christe calleth them hys mother suffers brothers that do his fathers wil. Math. 3. Wher we find therfore god truly honored accordyng to his wyl there we can lack neither frend nor kin If you be loth to departe for slaunderyng of gods worde remember that Christ when his howre was not yet come departed out of hys coūtrey into Samaria Iohn 4. Mat. 5 to auoyde the malice of the scribes and phariseis and commaunded hys Apostles that if they were pursued in one place they should flye to an other And was not Paule let downe by a basket out at a window to auoid the persecution of Areta 2. Corin. 2. And what wisdō policye he vsed frō time to time to escape the malice of hys enemies the acts of the Apostles do declare And after the same sort did the other Apostles albeit whē it came to such a poynt that they could no longer escape daunger of the persecutours of gods true religiō thā they shewed thē selues that theyr flyeng before came not of feare but of Godlye wisdome to doe more good and that they woulde not rashelye without vrgente necessitye offer themselues to death which had bene but a tēptation of god Yea when they were apprehended and coulde no longer auoyde then they stode boldly to the profession of Christ thē they shewed how litle they passed of death how much they feared god more then men howe much they loued and preferred the eternal lyfe to come aboue this short miserable life Wherfore I exhort you aswell by Christs commaundemēt as by the example of him and his Apostles to withdraw your selfe from the malice of your and gods enemies into some place where god is most purely serued which is no slaunderyng of the truthe but a preseruing of your selfe to god and the truth and to the societie and comfort of Christes litle flocke And that you will doe do it with spede leaste by your owne follye you fall into the persecutors handes and the Lord sende hys holy spirite to leade and guide you where soeuer you go and all that be godly will say Amen T. C ⧠Letters of Doctor Rydley late Byshop of London who afterlonge imprisonment was spitefully and cruellye martyred in Oxford for the constante confession of godes true religion In the yeare of oure Lorde God .1555 the xvi day of October ☜ Ad fratres in captiuitate carnis per varios carceres dispersos sed in vnitate spiritus atque sacrosanctae religionis in visceribus Iesu Christi conglutinatos GRatia vobis pax ac misericordia multiplicetur Quam gratiarū actionem pro vobis fratres red dere possumus domino super omni consolatione quam de vobis concepimus in domino qui Sathana saeuiente peromnia fallaciarum genera mundo imponere studente regnum suum iampridem collabascere ruinamque minitari incipiens erigere atque denuo instaurare sedulo satagente tanquam in Petra firmissime fundati permanetis immobiles Iamque licet Sathan per suos satellites ac
and encouraged them to kepe the high way sic currere vti tandem acciperent premium The Lord be his comfort wherof I doe not doubte and I thanke God hartely that euer I was acquaynted wyth hym and that euer I had suche a one in my house Protomartyr is the first Martyr whome he so called because he was the first that suffred here in those bloudy dayes And yet agayne I blesse God in our deare brother and of thys tyme protomartyr Rogers that he was also one of my callinge to be a prebendarye preacher of London And nowe because Grindall is gone The Lord I doubt not hath and koweth wherein he will bestowe him I truste to God it shall please him of his goodnes to strengthen me to make vp the trynytye out of Paules churche to suffer for Christ whome God the father hath annoynted the holye spirite doth beare witnes vnto Paule and al the Apostles preached Thus fare you well I had no paper I was constrayned thus to write To Augustine Berneher BRother Austine I thanke you for your manifolde kindenesse This almes was sent him by the Ladye Katherin Duches of Suffolk to who he wrote againe a worthy letter which is lâ—st and many other writen botâ— to her others I haue receiued my Ladies graces almes sixe Royalles syxe shillinges and eyghte pence I haue written a letter here vnto her grace but I haue made no mention therof wherfore I desire you to render to her grace harty thankes Blessed be God as for my selfe I wante nothyng but my Ladies almes commeth happilye to relieue my poore brothers necessity whome you know they haue cast and kepe in prison as I suppose you know the cause why Farewell brother Austine take good heede I pray you let my brothers case make your the more wary Read my letter to my ladies grace I would maistres WilkinsoÌ„ maystres Warcup had a copy of it for althoughe the letter is directed to my ladies grace alone yet the mater therof pertaineth indiffereÌ„tly to her grace and to all good women which loue God and his worde in deede and truth Yours in Christ N. R. ¶ To Maistres Glouer a woman zelous and harty in the cause and furtherance of Gods gospell MAistres glouer I wysh you grace peace and although I am not acquainted with you yet neuertheles hearing that your husbaÌ„d master Glouer is in prison for gods wordes sake and also that you are a womaÌ„ harty in gods cause and thirdly that old father Latimer is your vncle or nere cosin whoÌ„ I do thinke the lord hath placed to be his standerd bearer in our age and country agaynst his mortal foe Antichrist I was thus bold to write vnto you in goddes behalf to do accordinge to the report which I here of you that is that you be hartye in Goddes cause and hartye to youre mayster Christ in furdering of hys cause and settinge fourth his souldiours to hys warres to the vttermost of your power Let no carnality nor worldly regard of any thinge set you to declare your trew hart which you are said to beare to your mayster christ aboue all other thinges Be harty nowe also to your husbande and declare your selfe to loue him in God as the true faythfull christiaÌ„ womaÌ„ vnto her husbaÌ„d is bound to do Now seing your husbaÌ„d which is set by gods ordinaÌ„ce to be your head is redy to suffer abide in aduersity by his masters cause to cleaue to his head christ see like wise that you do your dutye accordyngly and cleaue vnto him your hed suffre with him that you maye furder his cause His cause nowe I vnderstande to be Chrystes cause and therefore beware good syster in Chryste that in no wyse ye hynder it Loue so hys bodye and the case and wealthe thereof as youre loue maye further hym to the wynnynge bothe of bodye and soule vnto euerlastynge lyfe And thys loue shall bothe God allowe your husbande shall haue iuste cause to reioyce thereof and all the godlye to commend you therefore and to number you for the same amonge the godlye and holye women of God To youre husbande I haue written more And thus fare you well nowe good deare Sister in our sauioure Christ I was the bolder to write vnto you for that I vnderstoode my dearely beloued brother Austyne whome I call Faustus shouldbe the carier a manne whome I thynke God hathe appoynted to doe much pleasure for hys preste seruauntes to hys warres Yours in Christ N.R. To a frend that came to visite hym in prison but could not speake wyth hym WElbeloued I thancke you hartelye for youre manyfolde kyndnes but the Lorde shal I trust acquite you youre meede Thoughe Sathan rage the Lorde is stronge inough to brydle hym and to put an iron chayne ouer hys nose when it shal please hym In the meane tyme they that are the Lordes wyll flee vnto hym assuredly he wyl not forsake them that seke vnto hym in verye deede and in truthe Thys bearer my manne is trustye you maye sende your token by hym Let Nycolas keepe styll the shyrtes The Lorde rewarde that Ladye VViatte whyche for hys sake hathe thus remembred me I doe not knowe her personne What canne I rendre to maystres Wylkynson for all her benefytes Nothyng surelye but to desyre the Lorde to acquite her with hys heauenlye grace If you tarye I shall haue more to saye to you peraduenture hereafter Nowe Vale in Domino charissime Yours in Christ N. R. ¶ The manner of D. Ridleyes handlinge in the Scholes at Oxford and of the impudent spite full cruel dealing of the papistes which he set before his disputation by way of a preface and is not vnfitte here to be placed among the letters translated out of his lattin copy into englysh I Neuer yet in all my life sawe or hearde anye thing done or handled more vaynelye or tumultuously then the disputation which was had with me of late in the scholes at Oxford And surelye I coulde neuer haue thoughte that it had bene possible to haue found anye within this realme beyng of any knowlege learning and auncient degree of schole so brasen faced and so shameles as to behaue themselues so vainly and so like stage plaiers as they did in that disputation The Sorbonical clamours which at Paris when popery most reigned I in times paste haue sene might be worthely thought in comparison of this Thrasonicall and glorious ostentation to haue had muche modesty Howbeit it was not to be wondred at for that they which should there haue bene Moderatoures and rulers of others and whiche should haue geuen a good example in woorde grauitye c. 1. Tim. 4. as Paule teacheth gaue worst example of all and did as it were blowe the trompet to other to rayle rage roare and cry out By reason wherof good christian reader it is manifest that they neuer sought for any truth but only for
religion and therefore can not subscribe excepte we will dissemble both with God our selues and the world Haec tibi scribo frater mi charisime in domino I am legam tuā epiflolam Ah brother that I hadde practicam tecum scientiam in vite illa quā pingis Iohn 15 roga dominum vt ita verê sentiam Amen God make me thankeful for you Salutant te omnes cōcaptiui gratias domino pro te agunt idē tu facies pro nobis ores vt c. Your brother in the Lord Iesus to liue and dye with you Iohn Bradford An other letter to Maister Laurence Saunders MY good brother I besech our good god gratious father alwayes to cōtinue his gracious fauoure and loue towardes vs by vs as by instrumentes of his grace to worke hys glory confusion of his aduersaryes This frend moued them to subscribe to the papistes articles wyth this conditiō so farre as they wer not against Gods worde being in dede cleane contrary to it and yet shortly after he valiantly suffred death for refusing the same Ex ore infantium lactentium fundet laudem ad destruendum inimicū c Amē I haue perused your letters to my self haue redde them to others For answere whereof if I should write what D. Taylour and Maister Philpotte doe thinke then muste I saye that they thynke the salte sente vnto vs by your frende is vnseasonable And in deede I thynke they both wyll declare it hartelye if they shoulde come before them As for me if you woulde knowe what I thynke my good and moste deare brother Laurence because I am so synnefull and so conspurcate the Lorde knoweth I lye not with manye greuous sinnes whiche yet I hope are washed away sanguine Christi nostri I neither can nor would be cōsulted withal but as a sipher in Agrime Howbeit to tel you how and what I minde take this for a summe I pray God in no case I may seeke my self And in deede I thanke God therfore I purpose it not Quod reliquum est domino Deo meo committo spero in illum quod ipse faciet iuxta hoc iacta in dominum curam Psa 54 Psa 36 Psal 31. c. Omni cura vestra coniecta in illum c. Reuela domino viam tuam spera c. Sperantem in domino misericordia circumdabit I did not nor do not knowe but by youre letters quod cras we shal come corā nobis Myne owne hart sticke stil to dabitur vobis Math. 10. 1. Cor. 10 3. pet 2 fidelis enim est dominus dabit in tentatione euentum quo possimus sufferre Nouit dominus pios ê tentatione c. O vtinam pius ego essem Nouit dominus in die tribulationis sperātes in se c. Nahū 1. I can not thinke that they will offer any kinde of indifferent or meane conditions For if we wil not adorare bestiam we neuer shall be deliuered but against their will thinke I. God our Father and gracious Lord make perfecte the good he hath begonne in vs. Faciet mi frater charisime frater quem in intimis visceribus habeo ad conuinendum commoriendum O si tecum essem Praye for me myne own hart roote in the Lord. For euer your own Iohn Bradforde A letter which he wrote to a faythfull woman in her heauines and trouble most comfortable for all those that are afflicted and broken harted for their sinnes AH my dearly beloued most dearely beloued in the Lorde howe pensiue is my harte presently for you by reasō of the feareful iudgement of our god which euē now I heard for truth by Richarde Proude God oure good father for his greate mercies sake in christ haue mercy vpō vs so with his eternal consolation comforte you my deare harte as I desyre in my moste nede to be of him comforted Amen The cause why since the recept of your letter I haue not sent vnto you this bringer cā tel you yea if I had not heard for truth of this heuie chaunce as yet you had not thus sone heard from me For I beganne of late a peece of woorke for your comfort wherof I send you now but a parte because my hart is heauie for your sake and I can not be quiet til I heare how you do in thys crosse Wherein my deare sister I beseche you to bee of good comforte and to bee no more discouraged then was Dauid of Absolons death the good Ionathas of hys father Saules fearefull ende Adam of Cain Noe of Cham Iacob of Ruben and the Godly Bethsabee of the terrible ende of her father or at the leaste her Graundfathers death Achitophell Not that I vtterly condempne and iudge your father for I leaue it to God but because the facte of it selfe declareth Gods secrets and fearefull iudgemente and iustice towardes hym and all men and hys greate mercye towardes vs admonishynge all the worlde howe that he is to bee dred and feared and Sathan not to sleepe and vs his children especiallye howe weake and miserable we bee of oure selues and howe happie we are in hym whiche haue him to bee oure father protectour and keeper and shall haue for euer more so that no euill shall touche vs further then shall make to oure fathers glorye and to our euerlasting commoditie And therfore let thys iudgement of God be an occasiō to stirre vs vp more carefully to walke before GOD and vnfaynedly to caste oure whole care vppon oure deare father whiche neuer can nor will leaue vs for hys calling and giftes be such that he can neuer repente hym of them Roma 11. whom he loueth he loueth to the ende none of hys chosen can perish Of whiche number I knowe you are my dearely beloued sister God encrease the fayth thereof dayly more and more in you he geue vnto you to hange wholye on hym and on hys prouidence and protection For who so dwelleth vnder that secrete thyng and helpe of the Lorde Psa 90.31 he shall be cocke sure for euer more he that dwelleth I saye for if we be flitters and not dwellers as was Loth a flitter from Segor where GOD promised hym protection if he had dwelled there still we shall remoue to oure losse as he dyd into the Mountaines Genesis 19. Dwell therefore that is truste and that finallye vnto the ende in the Lorde my deare sister and you shall bee as Mounte Sion As Mountaynes compasse Ierusalem so dothe the Lorde all hys people Howe then can he forgette you whiche are as the apple of hys eye for hys deare sonnes sake Ah deare harte that I were nowe but one halfe houre wyth you to bee a Simon to helpe to carye youre crosse with you GOD sende you some good Simon to bee with you and helpe you I will bee a Simon absente to carye as I can learne youre crosse whiche you haue promysed not to hyde from
in the lyke cause as s Iames sayth Take my brethren sayth he the Prophets for an ensāple of suffering aduersitie and of long pacience which spake vnto you in the name of the Lord behold we count thē happy which endure Y e haue heard of the paciēce of Iob haue knowen what end the lord made with hym for the lord is very pitiful merciful Also the lord trieth vs to let vs see our own harts thoughts that no hypocrisy nor ambitiō deceaue vs that the stronge in Christ may pray that he fal not but endure to the end that those that fal through fearful infirmitie might spedely repent ryse agayn wyth Peter also that the weake ones myght bewayle theyr weakenes cry with Dauid haue mercy vpō me O lord Psalme 6. for I am weake O lorde heale me for all my bones are vexed Of thys opening of the hart by persecutiō spake holy Simeō to Marye Christes Mother when he sayde Luke 2. the sworde that is the crosse of persecution shall pearse thy soule that the thoughtes of manye hartes maye be opened For like as a King that shoulde goe to battell is compelled to looke in hys cofers what treasure he hath and also what number and puisaunce of men and weapons so that if he see hymselfe vnreadye and vnarmed to bycker wyth hys ennemye he surceaseth and taketh truce for a tyme euen so we by persecutions haue oure hartes opened that we maye looke therein to see what faythe in Christe we haue and what strengthe to wythstande the enemyes and to beare the crosse that if we bee ryche in these treasures we myghte reioyce and valiauntlye goe to battell or if we wante these thinges with all speede to call and crye vppon him whiche geueth all good giftes to those that aske them Item the crosse trieth the good people from the badde the faithfull frō the worldlings hypocrites also clēseth scoureth the faythful hartes from al corruption filthynesse both of the flesh the spirit And euē as an yron except it be oftē scoured wil sone waxe rustye so except our sinfull hartes flesh be often scoured with the whetstone of the crosse they wil sone corrupt ouergrow with the rust of al filthynesse and sinne And therfore it is mete good for vs as the wismā sayth that as gold siluer are tryed in the fyre Sirach 2. so shoulde the hartes of acceptable men be tryed in the fornace of aduersitie Abide the tryal dere frends that ye may obtayne the crowne of life Fyght manfully in thys the Lords cause that ye may obteyne a gloryous victory here and receaue a great reward in heauen hereafter As ye are called Christians and would be angrye to be called Iewes or Turkes so declare your christianitye by followyng the steppes of Christe whose name ye beare suffer with hym and for hys Gospelles sake rather then to denye hym or to defyle youre fayth and conscience wyth false worshippyng or Romyshe religion Take vppe your crosse my deare hartes nowe when it is offered you and goe vppe wyth Christe to Ierusalem amongest the Byshoppes Priestes and rulers yf GOD call you thereto and they wyl anone send you to Caluarye from whence dying in the cause of the Gospell wherin oure good preachers and brethren haue geuen their lyues your soules I warrant you through Christe Iesu Eccle. 12. shall ascende to GOD that gaue them and the bodye shall come after at the laste daye and so shall ye dwell wyth the Lorde for euer in vnspeakeable ioye and blysse O blessed are they that suffer persecution for ryghteousnesse sake as Christes people in thys Iewyshe Englande now doth for theirs is the kyngdome of heauen O my beloued sette your myndes on this kyngdome where Christe our heade and Kyng is consideryng that as the brute beaste looketh downewardes wyth the face towardes the earth so is man made contrarye wise wyth hys face looking vpwardes towardes the heauens because hys conuersation shoulde be in heauen and heauenly thyngs and not vppon the earth and earthlye chynges Col. 3 as Sainct Paule sayth set your myndes on thynges which are are aboue where Christe is And agayne he sayeth phil 3. our conuersation is in heauen from whence we looke for oure Sauiour who wyll chaunge oure vyle bodyes and make them like to his glorious body Oh the glorious estate that we bee called vnto the Lorde preserue vs blamelesse to hys eternall kyngdome throughe Christe Iesus oure Lorde Amen The seconde thyng that I note in the foresayde wordes of Peter is that he calleth persecution no straunge thynge And truth it is for whiche of the Prophettes were not persecuted wyth Christe and hys Apostles and some of them in the ende cruellye kylled for the truthes sake Caine kylled Abell Isaac was persecuted of Ismaell 3. Regum 4. Regum Iacob was hated of Esau Iosephe was prysoned and sette in the stockes The Prophette Esaye was cutte in two wyth a sawe Ieremye was stoned Micheas was buffeted and fedde wyth breade and water Helias was sore persecuted Eleazer and the woman with her seuen sonnes were cruellye kylled 2. mac 6.7 What Christe and the Apostles suffered it is well knowen so that by manye tribulations as Paule sayeth we muste enter into the kyngdome of heauen Act. 14 All the holy Prophettes Christe and hys Apostles suffered suche afflictions not for euel doing but for preachinge Gods woord for rebukyng the worlde of synne and for their fayth in Iesus Christe Thys is the ordinaunce of GOD my frends this is the hygh way to heauen by corporal death to eternal lyfe Iohn 5. as Christ sayth he that heareth my words beleueth in hym that sent me hath eternal life shal not come into iudgemēt but is escaped from death to lyfe Let vs neuer feare death which is kylled by christ but beleue in him liue for euer Roman 8. as Paul sayth there is no damnation to them that are in christ Iesu which walke not after the fleshe but after the spirit 1. Corin. 15. And agayne Paule sayth Death where is thy sting Hel where is thy victory Thankes be to god whiche hath geuen vs victory through Iesu Christ Besides this ye haue sene dayly do see the blood of your good preachers brethren which hath bene shed in the gospels cause in thys sinful Sodome thys bloody Ierusalē this vnhappie citie of Londō Let not their blood be forgottē nor the blood of your good byshop Ridley who like a good shepeherd to your cōfort exāple hath geuē hys lyfe for his shepe S. Paul saith remember them that haue spokē to you the word of god Iohn 10. Heb. 13 loke vpon the end of their conuersation and folow their faith The deuil euer stirreth vp false teachers as he hath done now ouer al England 2. peter 2. 1. Timot 4. 2. Timo. 3.
veritate adorent Amen Vester in Domino frater quem tabellarius vobis denunciabit per Dei gratiam ad conuiuendum commoriendum The same in English ☞ To the Brethren remaynyng in Captiuitie of the flesh and dispersed abroade in sundry prisons but knit together in vnity of spirite and holy religion in the bowels of the Lord Iesus GRace peace and mercy be multiplied among you What worthy thāks can we render vnto the Lord for you my brethrē namely for the great consolation which throughe you we haue receaued in the lorde who notwithstandyng the rage of Satan that goeth about by all maner of subtil meanes to begyle the world and also busilye laboureth to restore and sette vp his kingdome agayne that of late beganne to decaye and fall to ruyne ye remayne yet still vnmoueable as men surely grounded vpō a strōg rocke And now albeit that Satan by hys souldiours and wycked ministers daily as we heare draweth numbers vnto him so that it is said of him that he plucketh euen the very starres out of heauen whiles he dryueth into some men the feare of death and losse of all theyr goods and sheweth and offereth to other some the pleasaunte baites of the world namely riches wealth and all kynd of delights and pleasures fayre houses great reuenewes fatte benefices and what not all to the intent they should fall down and worship Apoc. xii not in the lord but in the dragon the old Serpent which is the diuell that great beast and his image and should be enticed to commit fornication wyth the strompet of Babilon together wyth the kynges of the earth wyth the lesser beast Apo. xvii◠and with the false prophets and so to reioice and be pleasaunt with her and to be dronkē with the wine of her fornication yet blessed be god the father of our Lord Iesus Christ which hath geuen vnto you a manly courage hath so strengthned you in the inward man by the power of his spirite that you can contemne aswell all the terrors as also the vayne flatteryng allurements of the world estemyng them as vanities mere trifles thinges of nought who hath also wroughte planted and surely stablished in in your hearts so stedfast a faith and loue of our lord Iesus Christ ioyned with suche constancie that by no engines of Antichrist be they neuer so terrible or plausible ye will suffer any other Iesus or any other Christ to be forced vppon you besydes hym whome the Prophets haue spoken of before the Apostels haue preached and the holye Martyrs of God haue confessed and testified with the effusion of theyr bloode In this faith stand ye fast my brethren Gal. 5 and suffer not your selues to be brought vnder the yoke of bondage and superstition any more For ye knowe bretherne howe that oure Sauioure warned hys before hande that suche shoulde come as would poynt vnto the worlde an other Christ and would set hym out with so many false myracles and with such deceaueable and subtyle practises that euen the very electe if it were possible should be thereby disceaued suche strong delusion to come dyd our Sauiour geue warnyng of before But continue ye faithfull and constante and be of good comfort and remember that our graūd captayn hath ouercome the worlde 1. Iohn 4. for he that is in vs is strōger then he that is in the worlde and the Lorde promiseth vnto vs that for the electes sake the dayes of wickednesse shall be shortned In the meane season abide ye and endure with patience as ye haue begun endure I say Virgil eneid 1. Phil. 1. Heb. 10. and reserue youre selues vnto better times as one of the Heathen Poetes said Cease not to shewe your selues valiaunt Souldiors of the lord and healpe to maintayne the trauelyng faith of the gospell Ye haue nede of patience that after ye haue done the will of god ye may receaue the promises For yet a very little while and he that shall come will come and wil not tary and the iust shal lyue by faith but if any withdraw himselfe my soule shall haue no pleasure in him saieth the Lord. But we are not they which do withdraw our selues vnto damnatiō but beleue vnto the saluation of the soule Let vs not suffer these wordes of Christ to fall oute of oure heartes by anye manner of terrors or threatnynges of the world feare not them which kil the body the rest ye know 1. Iohn 2 For I write not vnto you as to men which are ignoraunt of the truth but which knowe the truthe and to this ende only that we agreeyng together in one faith may take comfort one of an other and be the more confirmed and strengchened therby We neuer had a better or more iuste cause either to contēne our life or shed our blood we can not take in hand the defence of a more certayne cleare and manifest truth For it is not any ceremony for the which we contend but it toucheth the very substāce of our whole religion yea euen Christe him selfe Shall we either can we receaue and acknowledge any other Christ in stead of him who is alone the euerlastyng sonne of the euerlasting father and is the brightnes of the glory and liuely image of the substaunce of the father in whom only dwelleth corporally the fulnes of the godhed who is the onely waye the truthe and the lyfe Let such wickednes my brethren let such horrible wickednes be farre from vs. For although there bee that are called gods 1. Corin. 8. whether in heauen either in earth as there be manye gods and many Lordes yet vnto vs there is but one God which is the father of whom are all thinges and we in him and one Lorde Iesus Christ by whom are all thynges and we by him but euery mā hath not knowledge This is life eternal saith s Iohn the they know thee to be the only true god whom thou hast sent Iesus Christe Iohn 17. Yf any therfore would force vpon vs any other God besydes hym whome Paule and the Apostles haue taught let vs not heare hym but let vs flye from hym hold hym accursed Brethren ye are not ignoraunte of the deepe and profound subtilties of Sathan for he wyll not cease to raunge about you seeking by all meanes possible whome he maye deuoure but playe ye the men and be of good comforte in the Lorde And albeit your ennemies and the aduersaries of the truthe armed with al worldly force and power that may be do set vppon you yet be not ye fainte harted nor shrink not therfore but truste vnto your captayne Christe trust vnto the Spirite of truthe and trust to the truth of your cause which as it may by the malice of Sathan bee darkened so canne it neuer be cleane put oute For we haue hygh prayse be geuen to God therfore moste playnly euidently and clearly on oure side all the Prophetes all
Godes woorde and accordyng to that vocation wherevnto we are called by the Gospell of Christ our sauior that the honesty purity of the same may prouoke al that shal se or know it to the loue of your doctrine and to loue you for your honestye vertues sake and so both in the brotherly vnitye of your true doctrine also in the godly vertue of your honest life to glorify our father which is in heauen Ex nostratibus magni aliquoc magistratus Cancellarius Wint. Comes Arundellus dn̄s Pachetusiam legatione fūgūtur vna cū Cardinali Polo in partibus trāsmarinis ad cōponēdā vt aiūt pacē inter imperatorem regem nostrum Francorum regem Post illorum magistratuum nostrorum reditum partum reginae quē iam quotidie expectamus iam aliquandiu expectauimus quëque deus pro sui nominis gloria dignetur bene illi fortunare nos tunc statim nihil aliud quam nostrae confessionis de hoste nostro antiquo triumphales in domino coronas expectamus Omnium vestrum precibus me humillime ex toto corde cōmēdo In primis tuis ô chariss in Christo frater dilectiss Grindalle chariss fratrū vnice mihi in dn̄o dilectorū Checi Coxi Turneri Leueri Sampsonis Chamberi omniū fratrū nostrorū conterraneorum qui apud vos degunt diligunt dominū nostrum Iesum Christum in veritate Cōmedo etiam vobis reuerendiss patres concaptiuos meos in domino Thomam Cranmerum iam vere magnipastoris Archipresulis nomine digniss veteranum illum nostrae gentis Anglicanae verum Apostolum Christi H. Latimerum Condona mihi frater harum prolixitatem non enim post hac credo chariss frater meis literis iam amplius ali quando turbaberis Oxonij To M. Cranmer and M. Latymer beyng separated from hym and prisoners in seuerall places THe cause of my brothers enprisōmēt is this so farre as I can perceaue There is a yonge man called M. Grymbolde whiche was my chaplain a preacher a mā of much eloquēce both in the english and also in the Latin To this man beyng desirous of al things which I had written and done synce the beginning of mine emprisonmēt my brother as is said hath sent copies no more but of all things that I haue done First a litle treatise whiche M. Latymer and I wrote in the toure where is before my my sayings N. R. before M. Latimer H. L. Also an other draught which I drew out of the Euangelists of S. Paul that the words of the lordes supper are figuratiuely to be vnder stand alleaging out of the doctors only vi thre of the greke church which are Origen Chrisost ad Cesa monachū Theodoret three of the latin church Tertullian Augustine Gelasius He had of my brother also a copy of my iij. positions to the thre questions here propounded to vs at Oxford thē also a copy of my disputation in the scholes as I wrote it my selfe after the disputation Item the letter Ad fratres in diuersis carceribus All these thinges they haue gotten of Grymbold as my brother doth suppose not that Grymbold hath bewrayed hym but as is supposed one whiche my brother trusted to carye his letters vnto Grymbolde for it will not synke into my heade to thinke that Grymbold woulde euer playe me such a Iudas part Although these things are chaunced farre otherwise then I had thoughte they shoulde for my mynd was that they shoulde not haue comme abrode vntil my body had bene layd to reste in peace yet truely I suppose this is not thus chaunced without gods graciouse prouidence which he hath ouer al his and I trust that god of his goodnes shal turne it to hys owne glory For it shal euidently appeare to the reader of these thinges whych they haue that the cause why I do dissent from the Romish religion is not any study of vayne glory or of singularitye but of conscience of my bound duty towardes god towardes Christes church and the saluation of myne owne soule for the which by gods grace I wyll wyllingly ieoperd here to lose life lands and goods name and fame and what els is or cā be vnto me pleasāt in this world My brother as yet because they nether shewed any comissiō or authority wherbye they did examine him nor also anye thynge of his letters although they said they had them as yet I say my brother hath confessed nothing But I loke for none other but he shal be forced to tel wher he hadde the copies and where they be and I wylbe content that he shal say the truth that he had them all of me let them come and take them caste them into the fire if god know they wil promote his glory they can do no more then he wil suffer them Bicause in the booke of N. R. and H. L. it is saide in the ende that H L. hath caused his seruant to write it I would Austine should haue word yf any farther search be to kepe hym out of the way God shall rewarde you both for my brother You my Lord of Caunt for your meate and dayly comfort and you father L. for your mony and comfortable messeges I trust in God my brother though he be younge yet wyl studye to learne to beare Christes crosse patienly as a yong Scholer in Christs Schole God encrease his grace in vs all Amen To maister Bradford prisoner in the kinges Bench. WElbeloued in Christ our sauiour we all with one hart wish you with all those that loue god in dede and truth grace and healthe and specially to oure dearely beloued companions which are in Christs cause and the cause both of theyr brethren and of theyr own saluation readye and willing to put theyr necke vnder the yoke of Christs crosse How ioyful it was to vs to heare the reporte of D. Taylor of his godly confession c I ensure you it is hard for me to expresse Blessed be God which was and is the geuer of that and all godly strength and stomacke in the time of aduersity As for the rumors that haue or doe go abroade either of our relenting or massing we trust that they which know god and theyr dutye towardes theyr brethren in Christ wil not be to lyght of credit to beleue them It is not the sclaunderers euell tounge but a mans owne euell deede that can with God defile a man and therfore by gods grace you shal neuer haue cause to doe otherwise then you say you do that is not to doubt but that we will continue c. Like rumor as you haue hearde of oure comminge to London hathe beene here spreade of the comminge of certayne learned men prisoners hether from London but as yet we knowe no certeyntye whether of these rumors is or shal be more true Know you that we haue you in our dayly
Now we suppose the daye doth approche apace for we heare that the Parliamente is dissolued The Burgesses of Oxforde are come home and other newes we beare not but that the kyng is made protector to the prince to be borne And that the bishoppes haue full authoritye Ex officio to enquire of heresies Before the Parliament began it was a rumour here that certayne from the Conuocation house was appoynted yea readye to haue come to Oxford and then there was spyed out one thynge to lacke for want of a law to performe theyr entente Nowe seyng they canne want no law we cannot but looke for them shortly I trust to gods glory let them come when they will c. Brother Bradford I maruayle greatly of good Austine where he is for that I hearde say he promised hys mayster to haue bene here before thys tyme and he had from me that I woulde bee lothe to loose yea to wante when tyme shal be that it myghte doe nay helpe me to do my lord and my maister Christ seruice I meane my scriblynges de abominationibus sedis Romanae pōtificū Romanorū I haue no copye of the same I loke daily to be called in certamen cum antiquo Serpente and so I tolde hym and I weene you also by whose meanes I was more moued to let hym haue them I doubte not of hys fidelitye I praye God he bee in health and at libertye for I haue bene and am carefull for him I haue hearde that maister Grimbolde hathe gotten hys libertye If withoute anye blemishe of Christes glory I am right glad therof My brother in law is wher he was that is in Bocardo the common Iayle of the towne I haue written her a letter to maister Hooper I pray you cause it to be written to him agayne Commend me to all your prison fellowes and our brethren in Christ If Austine were here I would haue had more to say The lorde graunt that all be with him wel who euer preserue you and al that loue our sauiour Christ in synceritie and truth Amen Yours by gods grace in our maister Christs cause vnto the stake thēceforth without al daūger peril for euer and euer I am sure you haue heard of our new apparel I dout not but London will haue their talke of it Syr knowe you that although this semeth to vs in our case muche thankes worthye yet haue we not that apparell that we loke for for thys in time wil weare and that which we loke for ryghtly done on will endure and is called stola immortalitatis N. R. ¶ To maister Bradford OH deare brother seyng the time is now come wherin it pleaseth the heauenly father for Christ oure sauiour hys sake to call vpon you and to byd you to come happy are you that euer ye were borne thus to be awake at the lords callyng Euge serue bone fidelis quia super pauca fuisti fidelis super multa te constituet intrabis in gaudium domini O deare brother what meaneth this that you are sent into your owne natiue countrey The wisdom and policy of the world may meane what they will but I trust god will so order the matter finally by his fatherly prouidence that some greate occasion of Godes gratious goodnesse shal bee plenteouslye powred abroade amongest his our deare brethren in that countrey by this your Martyrdome Where the Martyrs for Christs sake shed their bloud and lost their liues O what wondrous things hath Christ afterward wrought to his glory and confirmation of their doctrine If it be not the place that sanctifi eh the man but the holy man dothe by Christe sanctifye the place Brother Bradford then happy and holy shall be that place wherein thou shalt suffer and shal be with thy ashes in Christs cause sprinkled ouer with all Al thy countrey may reioyce of thee that euer it brought forth such a one whiche woulde render his lyfe agayne in his cause of whom he had receyued it Brother Bradford so long as I shal vnderstand that thou art in thy iorney by gods grace I shall cal vpon our heauenly father for christs sake to set thee safely home and then good brother speak you and pray for the remnaunt that are for to suffer for christs sake according to that thou thē shalt know more clearely We do loke now euery day when we shall be called on blessed be god I went I am the weakest manye wayes of our company and yet I thanke our Lord god and heauenly father by Christ that synce I heard of our deare brother Rogers departing and stout confession of Christ and his truth euen vnto the death my hart blessed be God so reioyced of it that since that tyme I say I neuer felt any lūpish heauines in my heart as I graunt I haue felte sometimes before O good brother blessed be god in thee and blessed be the tyme that euer I knew thee Farewell farewell Your brother in Christ N. R. Brother farewell ¶ To maister Bradford GRatiam pacem c. Althoughe I weene it is not yet iii. days ago synce you heard from me yet hauing suche a messēger so diuersly enforced I cannot but say som thing to you What shal I thāke you for your golden token what meane you man This token was a pece of gold which he sent to relieu◠his brother Shipside prisoner in Bocardo Do you not know that we haue victum amictū e penario regio I was so moued with your tokē that I cōmaunded it straight way to be had to Bocardo which is our cōmon Iayle I am right glad of Austines returne for I was as I told you carefull for him Blessed be God that all is wel I haue sene what he brought from you and shortly surueyed the whole but in such celerity that other also might see the same before Austines returne so that I noted nothyng but a confused some of the matter and as yet what the rest haue done I can tel nothing at al it was at the writing hereof in their handes To your request and Austines earnest demaund of the same I haue aunswered him in a briefe letter He meaneth here Harry Harta froward free wil man who had written a treatise against gods free electiō which Bradford sent to M. Rydley Cranmer and Latymer to pervse desyring M. Rydley to answer the same and yet he hath replyed agayne but he must go without any further aunswer of me for thys tyme. I haue told Austine that I for my part as I can and may for my tarditie and dulnes will thynke of the matter We are so nowe ordered and straitlye watched that scantly our seruantes dare do any thyng for vs so much talk and so many tales as is said are told of vs abroad One of vs cānot easely nor shortly be of knowledge of an others mynd and you know I am yongest many wayes Austines perswasions may do more
with me in that I may do conueniently in this mater armed with your earnest and zelous letters then any rhetorike either of Tullye or Demosthenes I ensure you therof With vs it is said that M. Grymbold was adiudged to be hanged drawen and quartered of whome we heare now Note the lyeng spirit of the papistes whereby you may se whose children they are that he is at liberty So we heard of late that M. Hooper was hanged drawen and quartered in dede not for heresy but for treason but blessed be god we here now that all is true in like False tongues wil not cease to lie and mischeuous hartes to imagine the worst Farewel in Christ token for token now I send you not but knowe this that as it is told me I haue two scarlet gownes that scaped I cānot tel how in the spoil wherof you shal haue your part Commende me to all our brethren your felow prisoners in the Lord. Yours in Christ. N R ¶ To Augustine Berneher then seruaunt to M. Latymer and nowe a faithfull minister in Christes churche to whom because he might not come to the prison to speake with hym he wrote as followeth BRother Austine you are hartelye welcome to Oxford again you haue made good spede in dede and blessed be god for his gratious goodnes that al is well with you That our dearly beloued brethren in Christ are al in good cōfort harty in christs cause stand stedfast in the confession of his true doctrine it reioiseth I ensure you my hart in god to hear of it This day was D. Croke with me and both he mystres Irish mine hostes told me that M. Hoper is hanged drawn and quartered for treasō but I did not beleue them for it is not the firste tale that mine hostes hath told me of M. Hoper And I trust the tydings that wer here spread abroad since your departure that M. Grymbold also should haue bene arraigned condemned for treason to be hanged and quartered was not true let me heare if there be any such thyng Not three dais agoe there was a priuy warning geuen me from a man of god one Lisley a glouer that we prisoners here al iij. shuld be shortly and sodenly conueied into iij. seueral colleges for what purpose how to be ordred god knoweth At the which time and at the earnest request of that forenamed mā of god I did deliuer vnto him some of the thynges I had in hand to write out what they be you shall know of hym Besides the things which he hath I haue some thynges els which if it please god I wold wish might come to light if perchaūce any therby might receaue the light to loue the truth the better and to abhorre the falsehode of Antichriste I haue written annotations in priorem librū Tonstalli plenius in secundum verò parcius optarem vt transcriberēturne fortassis vna mecum fiant subito Vulcani cihus I haue also many things but as yet confusedly set together of the abhominable vsurpatiō pride arrogancy and wickednes of the sea and bishop of Rome and altogether in Latine If those thynges were written out I would wyshe that M. Bradford would take them translate and order them as he should thinke mighte beste helpe to open the eyes of the symple for to se the wickednes of the Synagoge of Sathan But that at your last beyng here you cast cold water vpō mine affection towards Grimbold els me thinke I could appoint wher he might occupy himselfe to hys owne profite in learnyng which he lyketh to no small profytte whych myghte ensue to the church of Chryst in England as if he woulde take in hand to interprete Laurentius Valla which as he knoweth is a mā of singuler eloquence his boke I mean which he made wrote against that false fained fable forged of Constātinus magnus his dotatiō glorious exaltation of the sea of Rome whē he hath done that let him translate a work of Eneas Siluius de gestis Basiliensis consilii In the which although there be many thinges that sauoureth of the pan and also he hymselfe was afterwarde a bishop of Rome yet I dare say the papistes would glory but a lyttle to see suche bookes goe forthe in Englyshe If you wil know where to haue these bokes or treatises you may haue them both together and many lyke treatises whiche painteth oute the wickednesse of the sea of Rome in a boke set forth by a papist called Ortwinus Gratius intitled Fasciculus rerum ex petendarum fugiēdarum In that boke you shal haue confessionem fratrum Waldensium men of much more learnyng godlynes sobernes and vnderstandyng in Gods word then I would haue thoughte them to haue bene in that tyme before I dyd reade theyr workes If suche thinges hadde bene set forthe in our English tong heretofore I suppose surely greate good might haue come to Christes churche thereby To my good Ladies grace and to my Ladye Vane what thankes can I geue but desyre almyghtye God to lyghten comforte and strengthen them euermore in hys wayes The other two whome you mention I know not but the Lord knoweth them to whom in them all and for all their kyndnesse I geue most harty thanks Maister Bradford desireth that thāks should be rendred vnto you for your comfortable ayd wherwyth you comforte hym but you must tell hym that he must byd them thanke you for hym whyche are not bound to thanke you for them selues and yf he doe so then I weene all we prisoners of Oxford shall so stoppe hys mouth Brother Austine you for our comforte doe runne vp and downe and who beareth your charges God knoweth I knowe you muste needes in so doyng take muche paynes I pray you take thys poore token of my good wil towardes your charges To Augustine Bernher BRother Augustine I blesse god with all my harte in hys manyfold mercifull giftes giuen vnto our deare brethrē in Christ especially to our brother Rogers whome it pleased to setforth first no doubt but of his gratious goodnes fatherly fauor towardes hym And likewise blessed be God in the rest as Hoper Saunders and Taylor whome it hath pleased the Lord likewise to set in the forefrount of the battayle against his aduersaries and hath endewed them al so far as I can here to stand in the confession of his truth and to be content in his cause for his gospels sake to lose their life And euermore and without end blessed be euē the same our heauenly father for our deare and entierly beloued brother Bradford whome now the Lorde I perceiue calleth for for I wene he wil no longer vouchsafe him to abide amonge the adulterous and wycked generation of thys world I do not doubt but that he for those giftes of grace which the Lord hath bestowed on him plenteously hath holpen those which are gone before in their iorney that is hath animated
it and in the steade of Gods holye worde the true and righte administration of Christes holye Sacramentes as of Baptisme and others they mixte theyr ministerye with mennes folishe fantasies and manye wicked and vngodlye traditions withall In the steade of the Lordes holye table they geue the people with muche solemne disguising a thyng which they call theyr Masse but in dede and in truth it is a verye maskyng and mockerye of the true supper of the Lord or rather I maye cal it a crafty iuglynge whereby these false theeues and iuglers haue bewitched the mindes of the symple people that they haue broughte them from the true worshippe of GOD vnto pernicious idolatry and make them to beleue that to bee Christe oure Lorde and Sauiour which in deede is neyther God nor man nor hathe any life in it selfe but in substance is the creature of breade and wyne and in vse of the lordes table is the Sacramente of Christes bodye and bloude and for thys holy vse for the whych the Lord hath ordeyned them in hys Table to represent vnto vs hys blessed bodye torne vppon the crosse for vs and hys bloud there shedde it pleased hym to call them hys bodye and bloude whych vnderstandyng Christe declareth to bee hys true meaning when he sayeth Luke 22. doe thys in the remembraunce of me And agayn Saincte Paule lykewyse dothe set out the same more plainly speakyng of the same Sacrament after the wordes of the consecration sayâ—ng as often as ye shal eate of thys bread and drynke of thys Cuppe â— Cor. 11. ye shall set forthe he meaneth wyth the same the Lordes deathe vntyll hys commyng agayne And here agayne these theues haue robbed also the people of the Lordes cuppe contrary to the playne wordes of Christ written in hys Gospell Nowe for the commen publique prayers whiche were in the vulgare tongue these theues haue brought in agayne a straunge tongue whereof the people vnderstande not one word Wherein what doe they elles but robbe the people of theyr diuyne Seruice wherein they oughte to praye together wyth the mynyster and to praye in a straunge toungue what is it but as Saincte Paule calleth it barbarousnes chyldishenes vnprofitable follye yea and plaine madnesse For the godly articles of vnity in Religion and for the wholsome Homelies what doe these theeues place in the stead of them but the Popes lawes and decrees lying Legendes and fayned fables and myracles to delude and abuse the symplycitye of the rude people Thus thys robbery and thefte is not onelye committed nay sacrilege and wycked spoyle of heauenlye thynges but also in the stead of the same is brought in and placed the abbominable desolacion of the tyraunte Antiochus of proude Senacheryb of the shameles faced kyng of the Babilonical beaste Vnto thys robberye thys thefte and sacrilege for that I cannot consente nor God wyllyng neuer shall so long as the breath is in my bodye because it is blasphemye againste God hyghe treason vnto Christe our heauenly Kyng lord maister and oure onely Sauiour and redemer it is playne contrarye to Gods worde and to Christes Gospell it is the subuersion of all true godlines and agaynste the euerlastyng saluation of myne owne soule and of all my brethren and systers whome Chryste my Sauioure hathe so dearely boughte wyth no lesse pryce then wyth the effusion and sheddyng forthe of hys moste precious bloude therefore all ye my true louers in GOD my kynsefolke and countreymen for thys cause I say know ye that I am put to deathe whiche by Gods grace I shall wyllynglye take wyth hartye thankes to GOD therefore in certayne hope wythout any doubtyng to receyue at gods hande agayne of his free mercy and grace euerlastyng life Althoughe the cause of the true man slayne of the thefe helpyng hys neyghboure to recouer hys goodes agayne and the cause wherefore I am to bee put to deathe in a generalitye is bothe one as I sayde before yet knowe ye that there is no small difference These theeues against whome I doe stande are muche worse then the robbers and theues of the borders The goodes whiche they steale are much more precious and theyr kindes of fight are farre dyuers These theeues are worse I say for they are more cruelll more wycked more false more deceytfull and craftye for those will but kyll the bodye but these wyll not stycke to kyll bothe bodye and soule Those for the generall thefte and robberye be called and are in deede theues and robbers but these for theyr spirituall kynd of robberye are called Sacrilegi as ye woulde say churche robbers They are more wycked for those goe aboute but to spoyle men of worldlye thynges worldlye ryches gold and syluer and worldlye substaunce these goe aboute in the wayes of the Deuill their ghostlye father to steale from the vniuersall churche and peritcularlye from euerye man all heauenlye treasure true faythe true charitye and hope of saluation in the bloude of oure Sauioure Iesus Christe yea to spoile vs of our Sauiour Christ of hys gospel of hys heauenlye spirite and of the heauenlye heritage of the kingdome of heauen so dearelye purchased vnto vs wyth the deathe of oure Maister and Sauyoure Christe These be the goodes and godlye substaunce whereuppon the Christian before God must lyue and withoute the whiche he cannot lyue these goodes I saye these theues these churche robbers goe aboute to spoyle vs of The whiche goodes as to the man of God they excell and farre passe all worldlye treasure so to wythstande euen vnto the death suche theues as goe aboute to spoyle both vs and the whole churche of such goods is most hyghe honourable seruice done vnto God These churche robbers be also much more false craftye and deceytfull then the theues vpon the borders for these haue not the crafte so to commende theyr thefte that they dare auouche it and therefore as acknowledgyng themselues to be euyll they steale commenlye vppon the nyghte they dare not appeare at iudgements and sessions where iustice is executed when they are taken brought thether they neuer hange any man but they bee ofte tymes hanged for theyr faultes But these Church robbers can so cloke and coloure theyr spiritual robbery that they can make the people to beleue falshed to be truth and truth falshod good to be euel euell good light to be darknesse and darknesse light superstition to be true religion and idolatry to be the true worshyppe of god and that which is in substance the creature of breade and wine to be none other substance but onlye the substance of Christ the liuing Lord both God and man And wyth this their falshed and craft they can so iuggle and bewitch the vnderstaÌ„ding of the simple that they dare auouch it openly in courte and in towne and feare neyther hanging nor hedding as the pore theues of the borders do but stoute and strong like Nembrothe dare condemne to be burned in
flaming fyre quicke and aliue whosoeuer will goe aboute to bewray their falshed The kind of fight against these church robbers is also of an other sorte and kinde then is that whiche is agaynste the theues of the borders For there the true men go forth against theÌ„ with speare launce with bow and byl and al such kind of bodelye weapons as the true men haue but here as the enemyes be of an other nature so the watchmen of Christs flocke the warriours that fight in the Lordes warre muste be armed and fight with an other kinde of weapons and armour For here the enemies of God the souldiors of Anti-Christ although the battel is set forth against the churche by mortall men being flesh and bloud and neuerthelesse members of theyr father the deuil yet for that theyr graund maister is the power of darknesse theyr members are spirituall wickednes wicked spirites spirites of erroures of heresies of all deceate and vngodlines spirites of idolatry Ephe 6 superstition and hipocrisye which are called of S. Paule Principates powers Lordes of the world rulers of the darknesse of this world and spiritual subtilties concerning heaueÌ„ly things therfore our weapons must be fit and mete to fyght agaynst such not carnall nor bodely weapons as speare and launce but spiritual and heauenly we must fight agaynst such with the armor of God not entendinge to kill they re bodyes but their errours theyr false craft and heresies theyr idolatry superstitioÌ„ and hipocrisy Eph 6. and to saue as much as lieth in vs both theyr bodies and soules And therfore as S. Paule teacheth vs we fighte not against fleshe and bloude that is we fyght not with bodely weapon to kyll the man but with the weapons of God to put to flight his wicked errours vice and to saue both body and soule Our weapons therfore are faythe hope charitye righteousnesse truthe pacience prayer vnto God and our sword wherwyth we smite our enemies we beate and batter and beare down all falshed is the word of God With these weapons vnder the banner of the crosse of Christ we do fyght euer hauinge our eye vpon our graunde Maister Duke and captayne Christe and then we recken our selues to triumphe and to winne the crown of euerlastinge blesse when enduringe in this battaile withoute anye shrinking or yelding to the enemies after the example of our graund Capitaine Christ our Mayster after the exaÌ„ple of his holy Prophetes Apostles and Martyrs when I say we are slayne in oure mortall bodyes of our enemies are most cruelly and without all mercy murdered down like a me any of shepe And the more cruel the more payneful the more vyle and spitefull is the kind of the death whereunto we be put the more glorious in God the more blessed and happye wee recken withoute all doubtes oure Martyrdome to be And thus much dere loeuers frends in god my country men kinsfolk I haue spoken for your comfort least of my deathe of whose life you loked peraduenture sometimes to haue had honestye pleasures and commodities ye myghte be abashed or thinke any euill whereas ye haue rather cause to reioyse if ye loue me indeede for that it hathe pleased God to call me to a greater honoure and dignitye than euer I did enioye before eyther in Rochester or in the Sea of London or euer shoulde haue had in the Sea of Durham whereunto I was last of all elected and named yea I count it greater honoure before God in deede to die in his cause whereof I nothynge doubte then is any earthlye or temporall promocion or honoure that canne be geuen to a man in thys worlde And who is he that knoweth the cause to be Goddes to be Chrystes quarell and of hys Gospell to bee the common weale of all the elect and chosen children of God of all the inheritoures of the kingdome of Heauen who is he I saye that knoweth this assuredlye by Goddes woorde and the testimonye of hys owne conscience as I through the infinite goodnes of god not of my self but by hys grace acknowledge my self to do who is he I say that knoweth this both loueth fereth god in dede in truth loueth beleueth hys maister Christ and hys blessed gospel loueth his brotherhode the chosen children of god and also lusteth and longeth for euerlastinge life whoe is he I say againe that woulde not or can not fynde in his harte in thys cause to be content to dye The Lord forbid that any such shoulde be that shoulde forsake this grace of God I truste in my Lord God the God of mercies and the father of all comfort throughe Iesus Chryste oure Lorde that he whiche hathe put thys mynde will and affection by hys holye spirite in my harte to stande agaynste the face of the enemie in hys cause to chose rather the losse of all my worldly substaunce yea and of my life to then to denye hys knowne truthe that he well comfort me ayd me and strengthen me euermore euen vnto the ende and to the yelding vp of my spirite and soule into hys holye handes wherof I most hartely besech hys moste holye sacred Maiestye of hys infinyte goodnes and mercye throughe Iesus Christe our Lord. Amen Now that I haue taken my leaue of my countrey menne and kinsfolke and the Lorde doth lende me life and geueth me leysure I wyll bydde my other good friendes in God of other places also farewell And whome fyrste or before other then the Vniuersytye of Cambridge whereas I haue dwelte longer founde more faythfull and hartye frendes receyued more benefites the benefytes of my naturall parentes onlye excepted then euer I did euen in mine owne natyue countrey wherein I was borne Farewel therfore Cambrydge my louyng mother and tender nurse If I shoulde not acknowlege thy manyfold benefits yea if I shold not for thy benifits at the lest loue the agayn truly I were to be counted vngrate vnkind What benyfytes hadst thou euer that thou vsest to geue bestow vpon thy best beloued childreÌ„ that thou thoughtest to good for me Thou diddest bestowe on me all thy Schole degrees of thy common offyces the Chaplaynshyppe of the vniuersity the office of the Pâ—ortorship of a coÌ„mon reader and of thy priuate coÌ„modyties emolumeÌ„tes in colledges what was it that thou madest me not partner of Fyrst to be Scholer then Fellow and after my departure froÌ„ thee thou calledst me agayne to a Mastership of a right worshipful colledge I thanck thee my louing mother for all this thy kindnes and I pray God that his lawes the syncere Gospel of Christ may euer be truly taught faythfully learned in thee Farewell Pembroke hall of late mine own Colledge my cure my charge what case thou artin now God knoweth I know not well Thou wast euer named sithens I knewe thee which is nowe a .xxx. yeares agoe to be studious well learned and a greate
boke the testamēt of Iesus Christ in these woful wretched dais what you shold thinke and what you should stay vpon for a certayne truth and whatsoeuer you heare taught trie it by your boke whether it be true or false The dayes be daungerous and ful of perill not only for the world and worldly thinges but for heauen and heauenly thinges It is a trouble to loose the treasures of this life but yet a verye paine if they be kepte with the offence of god Cry call praye and in Christ daily requyre helpe succour mercy wisdome grace and defence that the wickednes of this world preuaile not againste vs. We began well god preserue vs vntill the ende I woulde wryte more often vnto you but I do perceyue you be at so much charges with me that I feare you would thinke whē I write I craue Send me nothyng tyll I send to you for it and so tell the good men your partners and whē I nede I will be bold of you .3 Decem. 1554. Yours with my prayer I. Hoper A report of hys miserable imprisonment and most cruell handlyng by Babington that enemye of god and of hys truthe then Warden of the Fleete THe fyrst of Semptember 1553. I was committed vnto the Flete from Richmont to haue the liberty of the prison and within vi dais after I payed for my liberty fyue poundes sterling to the Warden for fees who immediatly vpon the paymente therof complained vnto Steven Gardiner bishop of Winchester and so was I committed to close pryson one quarter of a yeare in the Tower chāber of the Fleete vsed very extremely Then by the meanes of a good gentlewoman I had libertye to come downe to dinner and supper and not to speake wyth any of my frendes but as soone as dinner and supper was done to repayre to my chamber againe Notwithstanding whiles I came downe thus to dinner and supper the Warden and hys wyfe pyked quarels with me and complained vntruly of me to their great frend the bishop of winchester After one quarter of a yeare and somewhat more the Warden and hys wyfe fell out with me for the wicked masse and thereupon the warden resorted to the byshop of Winchester obteined to put me into the wardes where I haue continued a long time hauing nothing appoynted to me for my bedde but a little pad of straw a rotten couerynge with a tike and a few fethers therin the chamber beyng vile and stynckynge vntill by Gods meanes good people sente me bedding to lye in of the one side of which prison is the synke filth of all the house on the other syde the towne ditch so that the stinche of the house hath infected me wythe sundrye diseases During which tyme I haue bene sicke the dores barres haspes and chaynes beinge all closed and made faste vpon me I haue mourned called and cryed for helpe But the warden when he hath knowen me many tymes redy to dye and when the poore men of the wardes haue called to helpe me hath commaunded the doores to be kepte fast and charged that none of hys men should come at me sayenge lette hym alone it were a good riddaunce of hym And amonge manye other tymes he did thus the 18. of October 1553. as many can witnes I payd alwayes like a Baron to the sayd warden aswell in fees as for my boord whych was xx shyllinges a weke besides my mans table vntil I was wrongfullye depriued of my bishoprycke And sithens that time I haue payde hym as the beste gentleman doth in hys house yet hath he vsed me worse and more vylye then the veriest slaue that euer came to the hall commons The sayde warden hath also emprisoned my man Wylliam Downton and strypped him out of his clothes to search for letters and could finde none but onelye a little remembraunce of good people names that gaue me theyr almes to relieue me in prisonne And to vndoe them also the Warden deliuered the same bill vnto the sayd Steuen Gardiner Gods enemy and myne I haue suffred emprisonmente almost eighten monethes my goods lyuyng frendes and comfort taken from me the Quene owyng me by iuste accompte foure score poundes or more She hath putte me in pryson and geueth nothynge to fynde me neyther is there suffred any to come at me wherby I myght haue relief I am with a wicked man and woman so that I see no remedy sauyng Gods help but I shal be cast away in prison before I can come to iudgement But I commit my iuste cause to God whose will be doone whether it be by life or death Iohn Hoper ¶ A letter concerning the vayne and false reportes whiche were spreade abrode of him that he had recanted and abiured that doctrine whiche he before had preached THe grace and peace of God be wyth al them that vnfeinedly loke for the coming of our sauiour Christ Amē Deare brethren and sisters in our lord and my fellow prisoners for the cause of Gods gospell I do reioyce and geue thankes vnto God for your constancy and perseuerance in affliction wyshing and praying vnto him for your continuance therin to the end And as I do reioyce in your faythfull and constant affliction that be in prisō euen so do I mourne and lament to heare of our deare brethren abroade that yet haue not suffred nor felt such daūgers for Gods truth as we haue and do fele are like dayly to suffer more yea the very extreme death of the fier Yet suche is the reporte abroade as I am crediblye informed that I Iohn Hoper a condemned man for the cause of Christ now after sentence of death being in Newgate prisonner lokinge daylye for execution shoulde recante and abiure that heretofore I haue preached And thys talke riseth of this that the byshoppe of London and his chapleines resort vnto me Doubtles if our brethren were as godly as I could wish them to be thei would think that in case I did refuse to talke wyth them they might haue iust occasiō to say that I were vnlerned disdained to speak with them Therfore to auoyd iust suspition of both I haue and doe daylye speake wythe them when they come not doubtinge but they will reporte that I am neyther proude nor vnlearned And I would wysh all men to do as I doe in thys poynte for I feare not theyr argumentes neyther is death terrible vnto me wherfore I pray you to make true export of the same as occasiō shal serue also that I am more confyrmed in the truthe that heretofore I haue preached by theyr cōmunication and ye that may send to the weake bretherne abroad prayinge thē that they trouble me not with such reports of recātation as they do For I haue hetherto left all thinges of this world suffred great paynes long imprisonment I thanke God I am ready euen as gladly to suffer deathe for the truthe I haue preached as a
in the other spirituall sorte by your good prayer I doubt not as I also therein assure you of my helpe being al that I maye do and yet the same not so much as I would do My nede concerning bodely necessaryes is as yet furnyshed by Gods prouision so that I am not driuen to any extremity wherfore to be burdenous to you as your gentle beneuolence prouoketh me the Lorde reward you therfore If god make me worthy to be his witnes at this present in geuing this corruptible body to burne for the testimonye of his truth it is enough for me to say vnto you that I haue a pore wife and childe whō I loue in the Lord and whom I know for my sake you wil tender when I am departed hence To be short I say vnto you as I say vnto my selfe reioyce in the Lorde caste your care on him for he careth for vs c. and accordynge to the tyme present let vs with our Christ and all hys deare Disciples wepe let vs with hym I say weepe a while that we may laugh with him euerlastingly Apoc. 7. Let vs consider of what sort of people they were whom Saincte Iohn by Reuelation dyd beholde in the heauenly blysse and euerlastyng ioy These are they sayde the Aungell vnto him whiche came out of great tribulation and made their garmentes whyte in the blood of the lambe and therfore are they in the presence of the seate of God and serue hym daye and nyghte in hys temple and he that sitteth in the seate will dwell among them they shal hunger no more neyther thurst neyther shal the Sunne lyght on them neyther any heate for the Lambe which is in the middest of the seate shall fede them and shall lead them vnto fountaynes of liuyng water and God shal wype awaye all teares from theyr eyes Though we sowe in sorrowe we shall reape in great ioy and for thys hopes sake we seeke the thynges aboue and forsake the thynges present I besech you geue most hartie salutations vnto my good Ladye Fitzwilliams vnto whom I wyshe as to you and to my self in all good thinges The grace of God be alwaies with you that good familie Amen L. S. An other letter to Maistres Lucie Harrington GRace mercy c. It happeneth oftentimes the abundaunce of matter bringing with it muche vehemencie of frendly affection maketh men dumme euen then chiefly whē there is most eger pupose of speakyng silence doth suppresse and causeth the partye so affected vnperfectly to expresse that he goeth about to vtter Such impediment by muche matter myngled with feruencie of affection feele I sometymes in my selfe lettyng the vtteraunce eyther by toung or writing of the aboundaunce of the hart The loue of oure moste gracious God and heauenly Father bestowed vppon vs in the merites of hys Christ oure Sauiour who maye by concepte of mynd comprehend passing in deede all vnderstandyng muche lesse may the same by any meanes be expressedly vttered And as such heauenly blessynges whiche by fayth we fetch from aboue be inexplicable so is it hard to vtter when the faithfull are set on fyre by loue theyr readynesse to reache forth and to geue by charitie as by fayth they haue receaued But alas we carye thys treasure in earthen vesselles many tymes fayth is feeble and then loue loseth her feruour Pray we therefore Lorde encrease oure fayth and loue forthwith will be on fyre And immortall thankes be geuen vnto our God who in our Christ hath bestowed vppon vs the fyrste fruites of hys spirite who cryeth in oure hartes Abba Father Rom. 8. And as S. Paule sayth seing we haue the same spirit of fayth accordyng as it is written I beleued and therefore haue I spoken we also beleue and therefore we speake yea God knoweth this spirite putteth in vs a mynd to speake 1. Cor. 4 but in attempting thereof we are driuen with Moyses to saye O Lorde I am slowe mouthed and of vncircumcised lippes and with Ieromye O Lorde I can not speake Albeit that thys infancye restrayneth the openyng of suche aboundaunce of hart in my tender Christian dutie to bee declared towardes you yet I beseche you let this be setled in your vnderstandyng that as S. Paule expresseth vnto his Corinthians that they were in hys hart eyther to liue or to dye with many other such sayinges vttered vnto them and the Galathians expressing hys vehement affection towards them so in some parte I woulde be lyke affected towardes all Gods children and especially towardes you whom I know in Christ and to whom I will not say how much I am indebted I thanke you for your great frendship tender good will towardes my wife yea that good gracious God recompence you which maye worthely with the more countreuaile the same fulfill that which lacketh of thankfull dutye in vs. And bycause of that whiche heretofore I haue conceaued of you and of your loue more then naturall towardes me and myne I make my selfe thus bolde to lay this burden vpon you euen the care and charge of my sayde poore wife I meane to be vnto her a mother and a mystres to rule and directe her by your discrete Counsell I knowe she conceaueth of you the same that I doe and is thankeful vnto God with me for suche a frend and therfore I besech you euen for Christes sake put neuer from you thys frendly charge ouer her whether I liue longer or shortly depart But to charge you otherwyse thankes be to God neyther I neyther shee haue any suche extreme neede if we had I would be as bolde with you as mine own mother I besech you geue my harty salutations vnto Maister Fitzwilliams and my good Ladie with thankes also for my poore wife and childe the Lord recompence them L. S. To hys godly and faythfull wyfe and to hys deare frendes Maister Robert Harrington and Maister Hurland GRace and comforte c. Deare wife reioyce in our gracious God and his oure Christe and geue thankes moste humblye and hartely to him for thys dayes woorke that in any part I most vnworthy wretch should be made worthy to beare witnesse vnto his euerlasting veritie which Antichrist with his by mayne force I perceaue by most impudent pryde and boasting will goe aboute to suppresse Remember God alway my deare wyfe and so shal Gods blessyng light vpon you and our Samuell O remember alway my words for Christes sake be mery grudge not agaynst God pray pray We be al mery here thankes be vnto god who in hys Christ hath geuen vs great cause to be mery by whō he hath prepared for vs such a kyngdome doth wil geue vnto vs some litle taste therof euen in thys lyfe to al such as are desyrous to take it Blessed sayth our Christ be they which hūger thirst after righteousnesse for such shal be satisfyed Let vs go yea let vs runne to seeke such treasure
as an heretyke I am condemned shall be burned wherof I aske god hartely mercy that I do no more reioyce then I do hauing so great cause as to be an instrument wherein it maye please my deare lorde and Sauiour to suffer For albeit my manyfolde synnes euen sythen I came into prison haue deserued at the handes of God not onelye this temporall but also eternall fyer in hell much more then my former synful life which the lord pardō for his christs sake as I know he of his mercy hath done neuer wil lay my iniquities to my charge to condemnatiō so great is his goodnes praised therfore be his holy name although I say my manyfold greuous late sinnes haue deserued most iustly all the tyranny that man or deuil can do vnto me and therfore I cōfesse that the lord is iust that his iudgements be true deserued on my behalfe yet the bishops and prelates do not persecute them in me but Christ himself his word his truth and religion And therfore I haue great cause yea most great cause to reioyce that euer I was borne hetherto kept of the lord that by my death which is deserued for my sinnes it pleaseth the heauēly father to glorify his name to testify his truth to cōfirm his verity to oppugne his aduersaries Oh good god merciful father forgeue me my great vnthākfulnes especially herein And you my derely beloued for the lord Iesu christs sake I humbly hartely in his bowels blood do now for my last Yale farewel in this presēt life besech you euery of you that you wil cōsider this worke of the lord accordingly First by me to be admonished to beware of hypocrisie carnal security Professe not the gospel with tong lips only but in hart veritye frame and fashiō your liues accordingly Be ware gods name be not euil spokē of the gospel lesse regarded by your cōuersatiō God forgeue me that I haue not so hartely professed it as I should haue done but haue sought much my self therin The gospel is a new doctrine to the old man it is new wine therfore cannot be put in old bottels without greater hurt then good to the botlels If we will talk with the lord we must put of our shooes carnal affectiōs if we wil heare the voyce of the lord we must wash our garmēts be holy if we wil be christes disciples we must deny our selues take vp our crosse folow christ We cānot serue ij masters if we seke christes kingdō we must also seke for the righteousnes therof To the petition of let thy kingdome come we muste ioyne thy wyll be done done done on earthe as it is in heauen If we wil not be doers of the word but hearers of it we sore deceiue our selues Yf we heare the gospel loue it not we declare our selues to be but fooles builders vpō the sand The lordes spirit hateth faining disceitfulnes the lord abhorteth If we come to him we muste beware we come not with a double hart for thē it may chāce that god wil answer vs according to the blocke which is in our harte so we shal deceiue our selues and others To faithe see that we couple a good conscience lest we make a shipwracke To the Lorde we must come with feare and reuerence If we will be gospellers we must be Christes if we be Christes we must crucify our fleshe wyth the lust and concupiscences thereof If we wyl be vnder grace synne must not beare rule in vs. We may not come to the lord and draw nigh to hym wyth our lippes and leaue our hartes elsewhere lest the lords wrath waxe whotte and he take from vs the good remaynyng in no case can the kyngdome of Christe approche to them that repente not Therfore my dearely beloued let vs repente be hartely sory that we haue so carnally so hypocritically so couetously so vayne gloriously professed the gospel For al these I confesse of my selfe to the glorye of God and myne owne confusion here that he may couer myne offences in the day of iudgement Let the anger and plagues of god most iustly fallen vpō vs be applyed to euery one of our desertes that from the bottome of our harts euery of vs may say it is I Lord that haue sinned against thee it is mine hypocrisy my vayn glory my couetousnes vncleanes carnality security idlenes vnthankefulnes self loue and such lyke which haue deserued the takyng away of our good kynge of thy worde and true religion of thy good ministers by exile prisonmēt and death it is my wickednes that causeth successe and encrease of auctoritye and peace to thine enemyes Oh be mercifull be mercifull vnto vs. Turne to vs agayne oh lord of hostes and turne vs vnto thee Correcte vs but not in thy furye leaste we bee consumed In thy wrathfull displeasure reproue vs not but in the myddes of thine anger remember thy mercye for if thou wylte marke what is done amysse who shall be able to abyde it But with thee is mercifulnes that thou mightest be worshypped oh then be mercyfull vnto vs that we myghte truelye worshyppe thee Helpe vs for the glorye of thy name bee mercyfull vnto our sinnes for they are greate oh heale vs and helpe vs for thyne honoure let not the wycked people say where is theyr god c. On this sorte my right dearely beloued let vs hartely bewayle our synnes repent vs of our former euyll lyfe hartely and earnestly purpose to amende our lyues in all thynges continually watch in praier diligently and reuerently attend heare and read the holy scriptures labour after our vocation to amend our brethren Let vs reproue the workes of darkenes let vs flye from all Idolatrye let vs abhorre the Antichristian romish rotten seruice detest the popyshe masse forsake their Romish God prepare oure selues to the crosse be obediente to all that be in authoritye in all thynges that be not agaynst God and his woorde for then aunswere with the Apostles it is more meete to obeye God then man Howbeit neuer for any thing resiste or ryse agaynst the Magistrates auenge not your selues but committe your cause to the lord to whom vengeaunce pertayneth and he in his time wil reward it If ye feele in your selues an hope trust in god that he will neuer tempte you aboue that he will make you able to beare be assured the lorde wil be true to you and ye shal bee able to beare al bruntes But if ye want this hope fly get you hence rather then by your tarying gods name should be dishonoured In sūme cast your care on the Lord knowing for most certayne that he is careful for you with him are all that heares of your head numbred so that not one of thē shall perish without his good pleasure wil much more then nothing shal happen to your bodies which shal not be profitable
how soeuer for a tyme it seme otherwise to your senses Hang on the prouidence of god not only whē you haue meanes to helpe you but also whē you haue no meanes yea whē al meanes be againste you Geue hym thys honour which of all other thynges he most chieflye requireth at your handes namely beleue that ye are his childrē through Christ that he is your father God through him that he loueth you pardoneth you al your offences that he is with you in trouble wil be with you for euer When ye fal he wil put vnder his hand ye shall not lie stil Before ye cal vppon him he heareth you out of euill he wil finally bring you and deliuer you to his eternal kingdome Doubte not my dearely beloued hereof doubte not I say this wil god your father doe for you in respecte not of your selues but in respect of Christ your captaine your pastour your keper out of whose handes none shal be able to catch you In him be quiet and often consider your dignity namely how that ye bee gods children the saintes of God citizens of heauen temples of the holy ghost the thrones of God members of Christ and Lords ouer all Therfore be ashamed to thinke speake or doe any thyng that should be vnsemely for Gods children Gods saintes Christes member c. Marueil not though the deuil and the world hate you though ye be persecuted here for the seruaunt is not aboue his maister Couet not earthly riches feare not the power of man loue not this world nor things that be in this worlde but long for the Lorde Iesus his comming at which time your bodies shall be made like vnto his glorious body Whē he appeareth ye shal be like vnto him when your life thus shal be reuealed then shal ye appeare with hym in glory in the meane season liue in hope hereof Let the lyfe you lead be in the fayth of the sonne of god for that iuste doth liue by fayth which faith flyeth frō all euill followeth the word of god as a lanterne to her feete a light to her steps her eyes be aboue where Christ is shee beholdeth not the thinges present but rather thinges to come she glorieth in afflictions she knoweth that the afflictions of this life are not to be compared to the glory which god wil reueale to vs and in vs. Of this glory god graunt vs here a liuely tast thē shall we runne after the sent it sendeth forth It will make vs valiant mē to take to vs the kingdome of god whether the lord of mercy bring vs in his good time through Christ our lord to whom with the father and the holy ghost three persons and one God be al honour and glory world without end Amen My dearly beloued I would gladly haue geuen here my body to haue beene burned for the confirmation of the true doctrine I haue taught here vnto you but that my countrey must haue therefore I pray you take in good part this signification of my good wil towards euery of you Impute the want herein to time and trouble Pardon me mine offēsiue and negligent behauiour when I was amonges you With me repent and labour to amend continue in the truth which I haue truly taught vnto you by preaching in al places where I haue come Gods name therefore bee praysed confesse Christe when ye are called what soeuer commeth thereof and the God of peace be with vs al. Amen Your brother in bondes for the Lordes sake Iohn Bradford To al that loue the lord Iesus and his true doctrine being in rhe vniuersity and towne of Cambridge Iohn Bradforde a most vnworthy seruaunt of the lord novve not onely prisoned but also condemned for the same true doctrine vvysheth grace peace and mercye vvith encrease of all godlines from god the father of al mercy through the bloody passion of our alonely Sauiour Iesus Christ by the liuely workyng of the holy spirite for euer Amen ALthoughe I looke hourely when I should bee hadde to the stake my righte dearelye beloued in the Lorde and althoughe the charge ouer me is greate and straite yet hauyng by the prouidence of GOD secretlye penne and inke I coulde not but something signifye vnto you my solicitude which I haue for you and euery of you in the Lord though not as I would yet as I maye Ye haue often and openly heard the truth especially in this matter wherin I am cōdemned disputed and preached that it is nedeles to do any more but only to put you in remembraunce of the same but hetherto ye haue not heard it confirmed as it were sealed vp as now ye do shal do here by me that is by my death and burning For Albeit I haue deserued through my vncleannes hipocrisie auarice vayneglory idlenes vnthankfulnes and carnalitye whereof I accuse my self to my confusion before the world that before God through Christ I mighte as my assured hope is I shal finde mercy eternal death hel fire much more then this affliction fire prepared for me yet my dearelye beloued it is not these or any of these thynges wherefore the Prelates do persecute me but gods veretye and truthe yea euen Christe hym selfe is the onely cause and thynge wherefore I nowe am condemned and shall bee burned as an heretyque because I wyll not graunt the Anttchrist of Rome to be Christs Vicar generall supreame head of his church here and euery where vpon earth by gods ordinance bicause I will not graunt such corporall real and carnall presence of Christes body blood in the sacrament as doth transubstantiate the substance of bread wine and is receaued of the wicked yea of dogs and mice Also I am excommunicated and coūted as a dead member of Christes church as a rotten braunch therfore shal be cast into the fire Therfore ye ought hartely to reioyce with me to geue thankes for me that god the eternall father hath vouched safe our mother to bring vp any childe in whom it would please him to magnifye his holy name as he doth I hope for his mercy and truthes sake wil do in me by me Oh what such benefite vpō earth cā there be as that that which deserued death by reasō of my sinnes should be diuerted to a demonstration a testification and confirmation of gods verity and truth Thou my mother the Vniuersitye haste not only had the truth of gods woorde playnly manifested vnto thee by reading disputing preaching publikely priuately but now to make thee altogether excuseles and as it wer almost to sinne against the holy ghost if thou put to thy helping hand with the Romyshe route to suppresse the verity set out the cōtrary thou hast my life and blood as a seale to confyrme thee if thou wilt be confirmed or els to confound thee beare witnes agaynst thee if thou wilt take parte with the prelates and clergye which
for the blood of Christ pardon me as I hope yea I certainelye beleue he hath done for his holy names sake through christ But my dearely beloued ye and all the whole worlde maye see and easely perceiue that the prelates persecute in me another thing then mine iniquities eueÌ„ christ himself christes verity and truthe bicause I can not dare not nor wyll not confesse transubstantiation and howe that wicked men yea myce and dogges eatyng the sacrament which they terme of the altare therby ouerthrowyng christes holy supper vtterly do eate christes naturall and reall bodye borne of the Virgine Mary To beleue and confesse as gods worde teacheth the primatiue churche beleued and al the catholyke good holy fathers taught for 500. yeres at the least after christ that in the supper of the Lorde which the masse ouerthroweth as it doth Christes priesthode sacrifyce death and passion the ministery of hys worde true fayth repentaunce and all godlines whole Christ god and man is present by grace to the fayth of the receyuers but not of the standers by and lokers on as bread wyne is to theyr senses wil not serue and therfore I am condempned and shal bee burned out of hand as an heretyke Wherfore I thanke my lord god hartely that wil doth vouch me worthy to be an instrument in whoÌ„ he him self wold suffer For ye see my affliction and death is not simplye bicause I haue deserued no lesse but much more at his handes and iustice but rather because I confesse hys veritye and truth and am not affrayd through his gifte so to doe that ye also mighte bee confirmed in his truth Therfore my dearely beloued I hartely do praye you and so many as vnfaynedly loue me in god to geue with me and for me most hartye thankes to our heauenly father through our Sauiour Iesus Christ for this his exceding great mercy towards me you also that your fayth shold not wauer froÌ„ the doctrine I haue taught and ye haue receaued For what can ye desire more to assure your consciences of the veritye taughte by your Preachers then their owne liues Goe to therfore my deare harts in the lord wauer not in Christes religioÌ„ truely taught you set forth in King Edwards dayes Neuer shal the enemyes be able to burne it to prison it and kepe it in bonds Vs they may prison they maye bynde and burne as they do and wil do so long as shal please the lord but our cause religion and doctrine which we confesse they shall neuer be able to vanquishe and put away Their Idolatry and popyshe religion shal neuer be builte in the consciences of men that loue the truth As for those that loue not gods truth that haue no pleasure to walke in the wayes of the Lord in those I say the deuill shal preuayle for god wil geue them strong illusioÌ„ to beleue lies Therfore deare brethren and sisters in the Lord I humbly besech you and pray you in the bowells and blood of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ now going to the death for the testimony of Iesus as often times I haue done before thys presente out of the pulpit that ye would loue the Lordes truth loue it I say to liue it and frame your liues thereafter Alas ye knowe the cause of all these plagues fallen vpon vs and of the successe which Gods aduersaryes haue dayly is for our not liuing gods wordâ— ye know how that we are Gospellers in lippes and not in life we are carnall full of concupiscene idle vnthankefull vncleane couetous aâ—â—â—gant dissemblers craftye subtile malicious false backebiters c. And euen glutted with gods word yea we lothed it as dyd the Israelites the Manna in the wildernes and therefore as to them the Lords wrath waxed whotte so doth it vnto vs so that there is no remedye but that for it is better late to turne then neuer to turne we confesse our faultes euen from the bottome of our harts and with hartie repentance which god worke in vs al for hys mercyes sake we runne vnto the Lord our God which is exorable merciful and sory for the euil poured out vpon vs and cry out vnto him with Daniell saying we haue sinned we haue sinned greuouslye Oh lord god against thy maiesty we haue heaped iniquitie vpoÌ„ iniquitie the measure of our transgressioÌ„s floweth ouer so that iust is thy wrath veÌ„geance falleÌ„ vpoÌ„ vs for we are very miserable we haue coÌ„teÌ„pned thy long suffering we haue not harkened to thy voyce when thou haste called vs by thy preaches we hardened our hartes and therefore now deserue that thou sende thy curse hereupon to harden our hartes also that we should henceforth haue eyes and see not eares and heare not hartes and vnderstande not leste we should be conuerted and saued Oh be merciful vnto vs space vs good Lord and al thy people whoÌ„ thou hast dearely bought Let not thine enemies triumphe altogether alwaies against thee for then wil they be puft vp Loke down and behold the pitifull complaintes of the poore let the sorrowfull sighinges of the simple come in thy sight and be not angry with vs for euer Turne vs Oh Lord god of hostes vnto thee and turne thee vnto vs that thou mayest be iustified in thy swete seÌ„tences and ouercome when thou art iudgâ—d as now thou art of our aduersaries for they saye where is their god Can God deliuer them now Can their gospell serue them Oh Lord how long For the glory of thy name and for thy honours sake in the bowels and blood of Iesus Christ we humbly besech thee come and helpe vs for we ar very miserable On this sort I say dearelye beloued let vs publikelye and priuately bewaile oure sinnes but so that hereto we ioyne ceasing from wilfulnes and sinne of purpose for ells the Lorde heareth not oure prayers as Dauid sayth And oâ— Saint Iohn it is written the impenitent synners god heareth not Now impenitent are they which purpose not to amend their liues as for example not only those which folow stil theyr pleasures in couetousnes vncleanes carnalitie but those also which for feare or fauour of man do against their conscience consent to the romish rags and resort to the rotten religion communicating in seruice and ceremonyes with the papistes thereby declaring themselues to loue more the worlde then God to feare more man then Christ to dread more the losse of temporall thinges then of eternal in whom it is euident the loue of God abideth not for he that loueth the worlde hath not Gods loue abidyng in him sayth the Euangelist Therfore my deare harts and deare agayne in the lord remember what ye haue professed Christes religioÌ„ name and the renouncing of the deuil sinne and the worlde Remember that before ye learned A. B. C. your lessoÌ„ was Christs crosse Forget not that Christ wil haue no disciples but such as wil promise to denie them selues to take
Sodomite an adulterer an vserer c. it forceth not he shall bee quiet enough no maÌ„ shal trouble him But if any one speake any thing to gods glory which caÌ„not stand wtout the ouerthrow of mans glory theÌ„ shall he be disquieted imprisoned troubled except he will play muÌ„me and put his finger vpon hys mouth although the same be a most quiet and godly maÌ„ Iob. 31. So that easely a man may see how that they be Antichrists church and sworne souldiers to the pope and his spouse and not to Christ and his church for theÌ„ would they not cast away gods word theÌ„ would they be no more aduersaryes to his glory which chiefly consisteth in obedience to hys word Therfore my deare hartes in the Lord seme not to allow this or any part of the pelfe of thys Romishe churche and Sinagoge of Sathan Halt not on both knees 3. Reg. 18. Hebr. 12 Mat. 10.16 Marke 8. Luk. 9.14 2. Timo. 3. Rom. 10 1. pet 3. for halting will bring you out of the way but like valiaunte champions of the Lorde confesse confesse I say with your mouth as occasioÌ„ serueth and as your vocatioÌ„ requireth the hope and fayth you haue and fele in your harte But you wil say that so to do is perillous you shall by that meanes lose your libertie your landes your goodes your frends your name your life c. and so shall your children be left in miserable state c. To this I aunswere my good brethreÌ„ that you haue professed in baptisme to fighte vnder the standerd of your captaine Christ will you now for perils sake leaue your lorde You made a solempne vow that you would forsake the world wil you be forsworne runne to embrace it now Mat. 16.19 Mat. 10. Marke 8. Luke 9. You sware promised to leaue al folow Christ wil you now leaue 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 him self also and withal taketh not vp his crosse and followeth him the same shal bee none of his Disciples Therfore eyther by a Christ adewâ— be forsworne runne to the deuill quicke Aect. 20. or els say as a Christian shoulde say that wife Psal 119. Psal 49. Heb. 11.12 psa 1â—9 39 childreÌ„ goods life c. are not to deare vnto you in respect of Christ who is your portion and enheritaunce Let the worldlynges which haue no hope of eternall lyfe feare perilles of losse of landes goods lyfe c. Here is not oure home we are here but pilygrymes and straungers thys lyfe is but the deserte and wildernesse to the lande of reste We looke for a citye whose woorkeman is GOD hym selfe Hebr. 11. psal 120 Iob. 9. psal 90 Iob. 5. 2. Cor. 5. Rom. 8 Phil. 1. math 7. Luke 13. 2. Cor. 4. Iohn 16. math 25. Rom. 8 We nowe dwellers in the tentes of Cedar We are nowe in warrefare in trauayle and laboure whereto we were borne as the byrde to flye We sorrowe and syghe desiryng the dissolution of oure bodyes and the puttynge of of corruption that we myght put on incorruption The waye we walke in is straite and narrowe and therefore not easie to oure ennemye the corrupte fleshe but yet we must walke on for yf we harken to oure enemye we shall be serued not frendly Let them walke the wyde way that are ruled by their enemyes let vs bee ruled by our frendes and walke the straite waye whose end is weale as the other is woe The tyme of our suffering is but short as the time of their ease is not long but the tyme of oure reioysing shall be endles as the tyme of their tormentes shal be euer and intollerable Our breakfaste is sharpe but oure supper is swete The afflictions of thys life may not be compared in any part to the glory that shal be reueyled vnto vs. 2. Timot. 3 Thys is certayn if we suffer with Christ mat 10. we shall reygne with hym if we confesse hym he will confesse vs and that before hys father in heauen and al hys Aungells and Sainctes saying math 25. come ye blessed of my Father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginnyng Apo. 7.14.19.20.21 3. Cor. 2. Esay 64. Hebr. 12 There shall be ioye myrthe pleasure solace melodye and all kynde of beatitude and felicitie such as the eye hath not sene the eare hath not heard nor the harte of man is able in any poynte to conceaue it as it is In respecte of thys and of the ioye set before vs should not we runne oure race thoughe it be somthyng roughe Did not Moses so the Prophets so Christ so the Apostles so the Martyrs so the confessors so Psal 36 They were dronkeÌ„ with the swetenes of this geare therfore they conteÌ„pned al the man deuils could do to theÌ„ Their soules thirsted after the lord his tabernacles psa 84.41 63. therefore their liues goods were not to dere to them Read the 11. to the Hebrues and the .2 of the Machabees the .7 Act. 14. 2. Timo. 3. Chapt. and let vs go the same way that is by many tribulations Let vs labour to enter into the kingdome of heauen â–ª for al that wil liue godly in Christ Iesu must suffer persecution Thinke therefore the crosse 1. pet 4. if it come for confession of Christ no straunge thing to gods children but rather take it as the Lords medicine by the which he helpeth oure imfirmities setteth forth his glory Our sinnes haue deserued crosse vpon crosse Psalm 8. Rom. 8. 2. Cor. 1 1. Cor. 15 now if god geue vs his crosse to suffer for his truth confessing him as he doth by it bury our sinnes so doth he glorifye vs makinge vs like to Christe here that we may be like vnto him elswhere for it we be pertakers of the affliction we shal be partakers of the consolation if we be like in ignominye we shal be like in glory Greate cause we haue to geue thaÌ„kes to god for leÌ„ding vs libertie lands goodnes wife children life c. thus long so that we shall bee giltie of ingratitude if he now shall come and take the same away except we be chearefull and content Iob. 1. God hath geuen and God hath taken away sayth Iob as it pleaseth the lord so be it done And should not we doe thys Deut. 13. especiallye when the Lord taketh these away of loue to trye vs proue vs whether we be faithful louers or strompets that is whether we loue hiÌ„ better theÌ„ his gifts or otherwise This is a truth of all truthes to be layd vp in our hartes read the historye of the widow 4. reg 4. Psal 37 Psal â—47 that that is not loste which semeth so to be for the coÌ„fessioÌ„
in your trouble praye for pacience Iacob i. perseuer to the ende let pacience haue her perfecte worke If you wante this wisedome and power aske it of god who will geue it to you in his good time Hope still in him yea if he should slay you yet trust in him with Iob and you shal perceaue that the end wil be to find him merciful ful of coÌ„passion for he will not breake promyse with you which hetherto did neuer so with any He is with you in trouble he heareth you calling vpoÌ„ him yea before you cal your desires are not only knowen but accepted through Christ If now and then he hide his face from you it is but to prouoke your appetite to make you the more to long for him Thys is most true he is a comming and will come he wil not bee long But if for a time he seme to tary yet stand you stil and you shall see the wonderfull workes of the Lorde Oh my beloued wherfore should you be heuie Is not Christ Emanuel god with vs shal you not finde that as he is true in saying in the world you shal haue trouble so is he in saying in me you shal haue coÌ„fort He doth not sweare only that trouble wil come but withal he sweareth that coÌ„fort shal ensue 1. Cor. 2 And what comfort such a comfort as the eye hath not sene the eare hath not heard nor the hart of man can conceaue Oh great comfort who shall haue this Forsoth they that suffer for the lord And are not you one of theÌ„ Yea verely are you Then as I saide happie happie and happie againe are you my dearly beloued in the Lord. You nowe suffer with the lord surely you shall be glorifyed with him Cal vpon God therfore now in your trouble and he wil heare you yea deliuer you in such sort as most shall make both to his your glory also And in this calling I hartely pray you to praye for me your fellowe in affliction Now we be both going in the high way to heauen for by many afflictions must we enter in thether whether god bring vs for his mercies sake AmeÌ„ AmeÌ„ Your fellowe in affliction Iohn Bradforde To my deare fathers D. Cranmer D. Ridley D. Latymer prysoners in Oxforde for the testimonye of the Lord Iesus and hys holy Gospell ALmightie god our heauenly father more and more kendle our hartes and affections with his loue that our greatest crosse may be to be absent froÌ„ him and straungers froÌ„ our home and that we may godly contende more and more to please him Amen As alwaies I haue had great cause to praise our dere father through christ so me thinkes I haue more more in seing more likely the end of my life which is due for my sinne to be through the exceding grace of Christ a testimonye of Gods truth Thus the lord dealeth not with euery body not the euery body hath not more deserued at gods hands theÌ„ I which haue deserued more veÌ„geance theÌ„ any other I know of my time and state but that by me I hope the Lorde will make the riches of his grace to his glory to be sene more excellente With me therfore I humbly besech you al my most deare fathers in God to geue thankes for me and as you doe still to pray for me that the Lord as for his loues sake in Christe he hath begonne his good worke in me eueÌ„ so of and for the same his loues sake in Christ he would make it perfect and make me to continue to the ende as I hope he will for hys mercy truth endureth for euer As for your partes in that it is coÌ„monly thought your staffe standeth next to the dore ye haue the more cause to reioyce and be glad as they which shal come to your fellowes vnder the alter to the which societie god with you bring me also in his mercy wheÌ„ it shall be his good pleasure I haue receaued many good things froÌ„ you my good Lorde Maister deare father N. Ridley fruites I meane of your godly labours Al which I seÌ„d vnto you againe by this bringer one thing except which he caÌ„ tel I do kepe vpon your further pleasure to be knoweÌ„ therin And here withall I send vnto you a little treatise whiche I haue made that you might peruse the same not only you but also ye my other most deare and reuerent fathers in the lord for euer to geue to it your approbatioÌ„ as ye may think good All the prisoners hereaboutes in maner haue sene it and red it and as therein they agree with me nay rather with the truth so they are ready and will be to signifie it as they shall see you geue them example The matter may be thought not so necessary as I seme to make it But yet if ye knew the great euill that is like hereafter to come to the posteritie by these men as partly this bringer can signifie vnto you surely then could ye not but be most willing to put hereto your helping handes The which thing that I might more occasion you to perceaue I haue sent you here a writing of Harry Hartes own hand Thys was the chefest mayntayner of maÌ„s frewil enemye to Gods free grace wherby ye may see how Christes glory grace is like to lose much light if that your shepe quondam be not something holpen by them whiche loue God and are hable to proue that all good is to bee attributed onely and wholye to Gods grace and mercy in Christ wtoute other respect of worthines theÌ„ Christes merites The effectes of saluatioÌ„ they so mingle confouÌ„de with the cause that if it be not sene to more hurt wil come by theÌ„ then euer came by the papistes in as much as their life coÌ„mendeth theÌ„ to the worlde more theÌ„ the papistes God is my witnes that I write not thys but because I wold gods glory and the good of hys people In freewyl they are playn papists yea PelagiaÌ„s Thys is well knowen to all those which haue had to do wyth them in disputations or otherwyse for the wrytyngs and authority of the learned they haue vtterly reiected despised ye know the modicuÌ„ fermenti totaÌ„ massam corrumpit They vtterly contemne all learning But hereof shall this brynger shewe your more As to the chiefe captaynes therfore of Christes church here I complayne of it vnto you as truelye I muste doe of you euen vnto GOD in the laste daye yf ye wyll not as ye can helpe somthyng vt veritas doctrinae maneat apud posteros in this behalf Vpon this occasion Mâ— Rydley wrote a learned and godly treatise of gods election and predestination as ye haue done on the behalfe of matters expugned by the papistes God for hys mercye in Christ â—uide you my moste dearely beloued fathers wyth his holy spirite here and in all other thynges as most
maye make to his glory and the commodity of his chruch Amen All here god therfore be praised prepare theÌ„selues wyllyngly to pledge our captayn Christ euen when he wil and how he will By your good prayers we shal al fare the better therfore we al pray you to continue to crye to god for vs as we god willyng do and wyll remember you My bretherne here wyth me haue thought it their duety to signify this nede to be no lesse then I make it to preuente the plantations which may take roote by these men Yours in the Lorde Robert Ferrar. Rowlande Taylor Iohn Bradford Ihon Philpot. ¶ To Maister Shalcrosse and hys wyfe dwellyng in Lankeshyre THe peace of conscience in Christ and through fayth in hys bloud which as it passeth and is farre better then any worldly ryches or ioye so is it to be redemed wyth the losse of the derest treasures we haue rather then we should lose it this peace I wishe vnto you good M. Shalcrosse and vnto your good yokefellow my good sister in the Lord now and for euer Amen Hertherto although I could not write vnto you yet as I trust you pray for me so I haue not bene forgetful of you in my poore prayers to almyghtye GOD my deare father through Christe to whome I geue humble prayses that he hathe geuen you grace as yet for so I heare to kepe your selfe vndefyled in hys seruice which farre differeth from the Romyshe ragges reuiued of late and iustlye for our synnes and vnthankeful vsing hys true religion and holy ceremonies once agayne in place and vse emongest vs. In token whereof I meane that I haue not bene forgetfull of you I thought good now when I may wryte to sygnifye the same aswel to renewe our mutuall loue in GOD and care one for an other by hartye prayer as to excite and prouoke you bothe to thankefulnes for gods graces hetherto especially in the poynte before spoken of and to be diligent and wary that you vnto the ende continue in the same for you know that perseueraunce in godlines and puritie is required of vs 2. Timot. 2 and that none other shal be crowned but suche as fyght lawfully Go to therfore and fyght on a good fyght floutly and manfullye that is as you know God is not to be worshipped and serued but after hys word written and not after vnwriten verities or the deuise fantasy and pleasures of men or women in what state soeuer they bee accordynglye behaue your selfe as inwardlye in gods syghte so outwardlye before your bretherne Seeme not to approue by your outewarde man that which the inwarde man detesteth It is not enoughe to beeleue wyth the harte excepte the mouthe and facte confesse the same Nor it is not enoughe wyth the mouthe to acknowledge a veritye and by oure facte and dede to destroye the same Paule speaketh sometimes of denyers of god not only with their lyppes tonge but also wyth theyr dede and life Let not the world or the more part of men be an example to you to followe them or do as they do in the seruice of God Christ sayth follow me speakyng of hymselfe whiche is the patrone and sampler we shoulde set before vs and not the worlde or more part whiche wyndeth the wyde and broade waye whose ende dothe leade to perdition and euerlastynge woe but rather let the example of such as walke in the narrowe and strait way which bringeth to life endles encourage you to walk wyth them althoughe the number of them bee but sâ—we the personages of theÌ„ be vttyrly contemned with the worlde in the world which worlde cannot loue no not knowe in dede the children of god because it cannot receiue the sprite of God and therefore as the Ape her younge ones so it the world I meane doth thinke her owne birdes the fayrest conteÌ„ning with deadly hate al others that wil not follow her iudgemeÌ„t But what saith christ Be of good there although the world wil persecute you yet I haue ouercome the world Oh coÌ„fortable sentence I haue ouercome the worlde This vndoutedly he meaneth for you me all other hys childreÌ„ that he hath ouercome the world for vs. But by what meanes Surely by suffring coÌ„tempt wrong false reportes and euen very shameful most bitter death Yf he went this way wan the victory thys way as I trust we knowe let vs as his seruants whose state ought not to be aboue our maisters not be dismaid of contempte of wrong of losse of goods or life it self but rather ioyfully suffer the same as meÌ„ knowing we haue better portions in heauen that thys is the sure way to victory most victorious for by many tribulations must we enter into the kingdom of heaueÌ„ if we wil come thether excepte for tribulation sake we will with ease and worldly quietnes go to hell You know that Paule saieth all that wyll lyue godlye in Chryste Iesu muste suffer persecution Wherfore in that you are in Christe Iesu I dare say you wil continue though persecutioÌ„ come to you being assured that it cannot come except god haue so decreed and if he haue so decreed then can not you but receiue it or els a crosse which will be much worse Willingly therfore take what crosse the lord shaloffer then the lord wil make you able to beare it neuer tempte you further theÌ„ he will make you stroÌ„g enough yea al the heares of your head he wil nuÌ„ber kepe so that one of theÌ„ shal not perish but if you should refuse gods crosse especially in suffring the losse of any thing for his sake which geueth you al the good that euer you haue kepeth it if I say you refuse be certaine the plagues of God wil be poured downe first on your soule conscieÌ„ce in hardning your hart blinding your minde either by bringing you into dispaire or into a conteÌ„pt carnal security whereafter wil ensue losse of the derest things you haue if god loue you or els he wil conserue the same to your eternal destruction I wryte not this as distrusting your coÌ„stancie in gods cause God forbyd for me thinke I am assured of your godly zeale but I do it as I sayde that you maye bee the more heedye ware diligent and earnestly geuen to cal vpon the name of god for hys helpe and grace of perseuerance which is more redy to geue then we to aske I know this kynde of writyng is madnes to the world folishnes to reason and sower to the flesh but to you which are a man of God and by profession in baptisme haue forsaken the worlde and doe consider thinges after the reache of faythe and haue tasted of the good spirite of God and of the lyfe to come vnto such a one I say as I trus you be thys kynd of writyng is otherwyse estemed For heare you are but a pylgryme your home is in heauen your
eie hath not sene the eare hath not heard the hart cānot conceiue how great glorious gods reward wyl be vpō your bodies much more vpon your soules God opē our eies to see and fele this in dede Then shal we thynke the crosse which is a meane herto to be commodious Then shall we thanke god that he would chastice vs. Thē shall we saye with Dauid happy am I that thou hast punished me for before I wente astray but now I kepe thy lawes This that we may do in dede my derely beloued let vs firste knowe that our crosse cōmeth from god Secondly that it commeth from god as a father that is to our weale good Therfore let vs thirdly cal to mind our sinnes aske pardon Whereto let vs fourthly loke for help certainly at gods hand in his good time helpe I say such as shal make most to gods glory to the comfort cōmoditie of our soules bodies eternally This if we certainly conceiue thē wil there issue out of vs harty thankes geuīg which god requireth as a most precious sacrifice That we may al through Christ offer this let vs vse earnest praier to our god and dere father who blesse vs kepe vs and cōfort vs vnder hys swete crosse for euer Amen Amen My dere hartes if I could any way comfort you you should be sure therof though my lyfe laye theron but now I must do as I may because I cānot as I would Oh that it would please our deare father shortly to bring vs where we should neuer departe but enioy continually the blessed fruicion of hys heauenly presence pray pray that it may spedely come to passe pray To morow I wyll sende vnto you to knowe your estate send me worde what are the chiefest things they charge you wythall From the Counter By your brother in the Lorde Iohn Bradford To Mystres Hall prysoner in Newgate and ready to make aunswer before her aduersaries OVr most merciful god and father throughe Christ Iesus our lord and sauiour be merciful vnto vs and make perfect the good he hath begonne in vs vnto the ende Amen My deare Sister reioyce in the lord reioyce be glad I say be mery and thankful Math. 5 not only because Christ so cōmaundeth vs but also because our state wherin we are presētly requireth no lesse for we are the lords witnesses God the father hath vouched saffe to choose vs emonges many to witnes and testify that christ hys sonne is Kyng and that hys word is true Christ our sauiour for hys loues sake towards vs wil haue vs to beare recorde that he is no vsurper nor deceyuer of the people but Gods Embassadour Prophet and Messias so that of al dignities vpon earthe this is the highest Greater honoure had not hys Prophetes Apostles nor dearest frendes then to beare witnes wyth Christ as we now doe The worlde folowyng the counsell of theyr Syer Sathan would gladly condempne Christ and hys verity but loe the lord hath chosen vs to be hys champions to lette this As stoute souldiours therfore let vs stand to our maister who is wyth vs and standeth on our ryght hande that we shall not be muche moued if we hope and hange on hys mercye he is so faythful true that he wyl neuer tempt vs further then he will make vs hable to beare Therfore be not carefull for I heare say thys day you shall be called forth what you shal answer The lord which is true cannot lie hath promysed and wyll neuer fayle nor forget it that you shall haue both what and how to aunswer so as shall make hys shameles aduersaries ashamed Hange therfore on this promyse of God who is an helper at a pinch and a most present remedy to them that hope in hym Neuer was it hearde of or shal be that any hopyng in the lord was put to foyle Therfore as I said I say againe Deare Syster be not only not careful for your answeryng but also be ioyfull for your cause Confesse Christ and be not ashamed and he wil confesse you and neuer be ashamed of you Thoughe losse of goodes and lyfe be lyke here to ensue yet yf Christ be true as he is most true it is otherwyse in dede for he that loseth hys life sayth he wynneth it but he that saueth it looseth it Our synnes haue deserued many deathes Now if god deale so with vs that he wil make our deserued deathe a demonstration of hys grace a testimonyall of hys veritye a confirmation of hys people an ouerthrowe of his aduersaries what great cause haue we to be thankful Be thankeful therfore good Syster be thankefull reioyce and be merye in the Lord be stoute in hys cause and quarell be not faynte harted but runne out your race and set your captayne Christe before your eyes Beholde how great your rewarde is See the great glory and the eternitie of felicity prepared for you Striue and fyght lawfully that you may gette the crowne Runne to get the game you are almost at your iorneyes end I dout not but our father will with vs send to you also 4 Reg. 2. as he did to Hely a fiery charette to conuey vs into his kyngdome Let vs therefore not be dismayde to leaue our cloke behind vs that is our bodies to ashes God wyll one daye restore them to vs lyke to the body of our lord and sauiour Iesus christ whose cōming is now at hande let vs loke for it and lift vp our heads for our redēption draweth nigh Amen Amen The Lord of mercy graunt vs hys mercy Amē I pray you pray for me and so desire my bretherne whiche be wyth you Gods peace be with vs all Amen Blessed be the deade that dye in the Lorde then how much more they that dye for the Lord. Your brother in bondes Iohn Bradford ¶ An admonition to certayne professours and louers of the gospell to beware they fall not from it in consentyng to the Romyshe religion by the example of the shrinkyng haltyng and double faced Gospellers THe peace of Christ which is the true effecte of gods gospell beleued my derely beloued bee more and more plentifully perceyued of you throughe the grace of our deare father by the myghty workyng of the holy spirit our comforter Amen Though I haue many lettes presently to hynder me from writyng vnto you yet beyng desired I could not but somethyng signifye my readye good wyll in this behalfe so much as I may when I cannot so much as I woulde You heare and see how Sathan bestirreth hym ragyng as a roryng Lyon to deuoure vs. You see and feele partlye what stormes he hath raysed vppe to drowne the poore boote of Christ I meane hys church You see how terribly he trayneth his souldiours to geue a fierce onset on the voward of gods battel You see how he hath receyued power of god to molest gods children and to begyn at hys house By reason wherof consider
two thynges one the cause on our behalfe the other what wil be the sequel on straungers For the first yf we be not blynd we cannot but well see that our sinnes are the cause of all this misery our synnes I saye whiche I woulde that euerye one of vs woulde applye to our selues after the example of Ionas and Dauid turnyng ouer the wallet that other mens offences myghte lye behynde and our own before Not that I would excuse other men which exteriorly haue walked much more grossely then manye of you haue done but that I woulde prouoke you all as my selfe to more harty repentaunce and prayer Let vs more more encrease to know and lament our doubtyng of God of hys presence power anger mercy c. Let vs better feele and hate our selfe loue securitie negligence vnthankefulnes vnbeliefe impatience c. and then doubteles the crosse shall be lesse carefull yea it shall be comfortable and Christ most deare and pleasaunt death then shall be desired as the dispatcher of vs out of all misery and entraunce into eternall felicity ioy vnspeakable the which is so much the more longed for by howe muche we feele in dede the Serpentes byttes wherwyth he woundeth our heeles that is our outward Adam and senses If we had I say a liuely and true feelyng of his poyson we could not but as reioyce ouer our Captayn that hath brused hys head so be desirous to follow hys example that is to geue oure lyues wyth hym and for hym Coloss 1 and so to fyll vp hys passions that he myght conquere and ouercome in vs and by vs to his glory and comfort of hys chyldren Now the second I meane the sequell or that whyche wil follow on the straungers my derely beloued let vs wel loke vpon For if so be that god iustly do thus geue to Sathan and hys sede to vexe and molest Christe and hys penitente people oh what and how iustly maye he and wyll he geue to Sathan to intreate the rechlesse and impenitent synners If iudgement beginne thus at gods house what wil follow on them that be wythout if they repent not Certainly for them is reserued the dregges of gods cuppe that is Brymstone fyre and tempest intollerable Nowe are they vnwilling to drynke of gods cuppe of afflictions which he offreth common with hys sonne Christ our Lord lest they shoulde lose theyr pygges wyth the Gergesites Math. 8. They are vnwillyng to come into the waye that bryngeth to heauen euen afflictions they in their hartes crye let vs caste his yoke from vs they walke two wayes that is they seeke to serue god and Mammon which is vnpossible They wil not come nighe the straite waye that bryngeth to lyfe they open their eyes to beholde presente thynges onelye they iudge of religion after reasō and not after gods word they follow the more part and not the better they professe God wyth their mouthes but in their hartes they deny hym or elles they woulde sanctifye hym by seruing him more then men they part stake wyth GGD whych woulde haue al geuing part to the world to the Romishe route and Antichristian Idolatry now set abroad emongest vs publikely they will haue Christ but none of his crosse which will not be they wil be counted to lyue godly in Christe but yet they wil suffer no persecutiō they loue thys world wher through the loue of god is driuen forth of them they sauer those things that be of men and not that be of god Summa they loue god in their lippes ▪ but in their harts yea and in their dedes deny him aswel by not repenting their euils past as by continuing in euil stil by doyng as the world the flesh and the deuil willeth yet stil perchaunce they wil praye or rather prate thy wyll be done in earth which is generally that euery one shuld take vp his crosse and follow christ But this is a hard sermō who is able to abide it Therfore Christ must be praied to depart lest al their pigges be drowned The deuil shal haue his dwelling again in thēselues rather thē in their pigges therfore to the deuil shal they go dwel with him in eternal perdiciō dānation euē in hel fier a torment endles aboue al cogitations incomprehensible if they repent not Wherfore by thē my derely beloued be admonished to remēber your professiō how that in Baptisme you made a solēpne vow to renoūce the deuil the world c. You promised to fight vnder christes stāderd You learned christs crosse afore you begun with A. B. C. Go to thē pay your vow to the lord fyght lyke men and valiant men vnder Christes standerde take vp your crosse and follow your maister as your brethern M. Hoper Rogers Tailor and Saūders haue done and as now your bretherne M. Cranmer Latymer Rydley Farror Bradforde Hawkes c. be redy to do The Ise is broken before you therfore be not afraide but be content to dye for the lord You haue no cause to wauer or doubte of the doctryne thus declared by the bloud of the pastours Remember that Chryste sayeth he that wyll saue hys lyfe shall lose it And what shoulde it profite you to wynne the whole worlde much lesse a little quietnes your goodes c. and to lose your owne soules Render to the Lorde that he hath lent you by such meanes as he would haue you render it and not as you woulde Forgette not Christes disciples must denye themselues as well concernyng their wyl as concernyng their wisedome Haue in mynde that as it is no small mercy to beleue in the Lord so it is no smal kindnes of God towardes you to suffer any thyng muche more death for the Lord. If they be blessed that dye in the Lorde howe shall they be that dye for the Lorde Oh what a blessyng is it to haue death due for our synnes diuerted into a demonstration and testification of the lordes truth Oh that we had a little of Moses faith to loke vpon the ende of the crosse to loke vpon the rewarde to see continuallye wyth Christe and hys people greater ryches then the ryches of Egipt Oh let vs pray that god would open our eyes to see hys hyd Manna heauenlye Ierusalem the congregation of the first borne the melodye of the sainctes the tabernacle of God dwellyng wyth men then should we runne and become violent men and so take the kyngdome of heauen as it were by force God oure father geue vs for hys Christes sake to see a little what and howe great ioye he hath prepared for vs he hathe called vs vnto and most assuredlye geueth vs for hys owne goodnes and truthes sake Amen My derely beloued repent bee sober watch in prayer be obediēt after your vocations shewe your obedience to the hygher powers in all thyngs that are not agaynst gods worde therein acknowledge the soueraigne power of the Lorde howbeit so
manifestly in saieng whō he hath predestinate thē he calleth whō he calleth thē he iustifieth Wherby we may se the predestination or electiō is not vniuersal of al for al be not iustified Eightly and laste of all that election is so certayne that the elect and predestinate to eternall lyfe shall neuer peryshe or erre to dampnation finallye Election is certain for euer the Apostle dothe here also very playnly shewe in saieng that they are predestiinate to the prayse of gods grace He sayth not to the prayse of hys iustice to the praise of hys wisdome to the prayse of hys power although he myght moste truely saye so but he sayeth Rom. 12 to the prayse of hys grace whiche were not grace yf there were any respect at al of workes on our behalf for thē were grace not grace If there should be any condemnation of the electe and predestinate to eternall lyfe it must needes be because of theyr synnes but where were the praise of gods grace then which is the ende of gods election Shal we not by thys meanes make gods election without an ende and so wythout a heade and so no election at all as some would haue further then they elect themselues ▪ Let such feare they shall not find the benefit of gods election because they seke it as the Israelites dyd Rom. 11. Psalm 69 and not as the elect which not only finde it but also obtayne it The other are blinded as it is written God hath geuen them the spyryte of vnquietnes eyes that they should not see and eares that they shoulde heare euē to thys day c. Secondly he sheweth the certaintye of saluation to them that be elected in saying that they be accepted in the beloued Once accepted and beloued in Christ Iohn 13 Rom. 11 Iohn 13 and euer beloued for whome he loueth he loueth to the ende and gods giftes are suche that he cannot repente hym of them And therfore sayth Christ I know whome I haue chosen attributyng to election the cause of final perseuerance By which thyng Iudas was sene not to be elected to eternall lyfe althoughe he was elected to the office of an Apostle as Saule was elected to the office of a king Which kind of election is to be discerned in readyng the scriptures from thys kynd of election the which I speake of now that is from election to eternal lyfe in Christ Thirdly he sheweth the certaintye of saluation of the electe by callyng them heyres For yf we be heyres of god thē are we fellow heires wyth Christ Rom. 8 to be afflicted and glorifyed wyth Christe and therfore saith he accordyng to the decree of hys owne will Loe he calleth it a decree or counsel which shal stand as Esay saith Esay 46 the counsel of the Lorde shal stande Fourthlye he sheweth this certaintie by saying that they are elect and predestinate to the prayse of gods glory which we should more care for then for the saluation of all the worlde Thys glory of the lord is set forth as well in them that perishe and are reprobates as in the elect therefore Iohn 12 S. Iohn bringing in the place of Esay speaking of the reprobate sayth that Esay spake that whē he sawe the glory of the lord This glory of the Lord to bee set forth by vs is a great mercy and benefite of God I am assured that if the very deuilles and reprobates dyd not repine hereat but were thankful that they might be ministers in any poynte to set forth Gods glorye I am assured I say that they should finde no hell nor tormentes Their hel and tormentes cōmeth of the loue they haue to them selues and of the malice enuie and hatred they haue agaynste God hys glory Let them tremble and feare that may not away with the glory of the Lord in election and reprobation Let not their eyes be euil because god is good doth good to whom it pleaseth him wrong he doth to no man Rom. 9 nor can do for then he were not righteous so no God He can not condemne the iust for thē were he vntrue because his word is contrary He can not condemne the penitent and beleuer for that were againste his promise Let vs therfore laboure studie crye and praye for repentaunce and fayth Math. 25. then can not we bee damned because we are the blessed of the father before all worldes and therefore we beleue therfore we repent 1 Cor. 2 And for asmuch as it pertayneth to vs which be within to see and to speake of those things which are geuen vnto vs of God in Christe let vs laboure hereaboutes 1. Cor. 5. Ephesi 1. and leaue them that be withoute to the Lorde which will iudge them in hys tyme. The Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians for none other wisedome and reuelation from God Coloss 2 then wherby they might know god and haue their mindes illumined to see what they should hope for by their vocation and how rych the glorye of his enheritaunce is vppon hys Sainctes Further then thys I thynke is vnsemely for vs to search vntill we haue sought out how rych Gods goodnesse is and wil be to vs hys children The which we can neuer do but the more we goe theraboutes and the more we taste hys goodnes the more we shall loue hym and loth all thynges that displease him Thys I say let vs doe and not be too busy bodyes in searching the maiestie glorye of god or in nourishyng in any wise the doubting of our saluatiō wherto we are ready enough and the deuil goeth about nothing els so much as that for by it we are dul to do good to other we are so carefull for our selues By it we are more dulle to do good to our selues because we stand in doubt whether it profiteth vs or no. By it we dishonoure god either in making him as though he were not true or els as though our saluation came not only altogether from hym but hanged partly on our selues By it the deuil wil bring mē at length to dispaire and hatred of god Doubt once of thy saluation and continue therin surely he then wil aske no more It was the first thyng wherwith he tempted Christe Math. 4. if thou bee the sonne of god c. It is the first principallest darte he casteth at gods electe But as he preuailed not agaynst Christe no more shal he do against any of his members Ephesi 6 Luke 18. Psal 34. Psal 92 for they haue the shield of faith which quencheth his fiery dartes They praise god nyght day how then should they perish The Angels of the Lord pitch their tentes round about thē how thē should Sathan preuaile They are borne in the hands of the Angels least they should hurt their feete at any stone God hath geuen cōmaundement to hys Angels ouer them Heb. 1. Luk. 10 phil 4.
gleue but those that runne to the appointed marke None shal be saued but suche as persiste and continue to the verye ende Therfore dere Syster remember that we haue nede of patience Hebr. 20 that when we haue done the good wyll of God we may receiue the promise Patience and perseueraunce be the proper notes wherby gods children are known from counterfaites They that perseuer not were alwayes but hypocrites Manye make godly beginnings yea their progresse semeth meruelous but yet after the ende they fayle These were neuer of vs sayth S. Iohn for yf they had bene of vs they woulde haue continued vnto the verye ende Goe to therefore myne owne beloued in the Lorde as you haue well begunne and well gone forwarde so well persyst and happely ende and then all is yours Though this be sharpe and sower yet it is not tedious or long Doe all that euer you doe symplye for GOD and as to God so shall neuer vnkyndnes nor anye other thynge make you to leaue of from well doyng so longe as you may do well Accustome yourselfe nowe to set GOD continuallye that he may be all in all vnto you In good thynges beholde hys mercye and applye it vnto your selfe In euyl thinges and plagues beholde hys iudgementes wherthorough learne to feare hym Beware of synne as the Serpente of the soule which spoyleth vs of all oure or nature and seemelye apparell in Gods syghte Let Chryst crucifyed be your booke to studye on and that bothe nyghte and daye Marke youre vocation and be diligente in the workes thereof vse hartye and earneste prayer and that in spyryte In all thynges geue thankes to GOD our father throughe Chryste Laboure to haue here lyfe euerlastynge begonne in you for elles it wyll not be elsewhere enioyed Set Gods iudgement often before your eies that now examinyng your selfe you maye make diligent sute and obtayne neuer to come into iudgemente Vncouer your euyls to God that he maye couer them Beware of thys Antichristian trashe defyle not your selfe in soule or bodye therewyth but accomplyshe holynes in the feare rf GOD and beare no yoke wyth vnbeleuers Looke for the commyng of the Lorde whyche is at hande by earnest prayer and godly lyfe hasten it GOD oure father accomplyshe hys good worke in you Amen Commende me to my good Mother Mystres Wylkynson and to my verye deare Syster Mystres Warcuppe I shal dayly commende you all to GGD and I praye you do the lyke for me Iohn Bradforde To Mystres Browne GOod Syster I beseche god to make perfecte the good he hath begonne in you vnto the very ende Amen Thys lyfe more and more waxeth vnto vs as it shoulde be that is a miserable life a wepyng lyfe a wofull lyfe and therfore let vs long for our happy life our laughing life our ioyfull lyfe which we shall enioy then haue in very dede whē we depart by death out of this daūgerous state wherin we nowe are by reason of this synful flesh which we cary about vs. Therfore let vs prepare our selues accordyngly and in misery and sorrow be glad through hope Now we are dispersed but we shal be gathered together again there where we shall neuer part but alwayes be together in ioye eternall In hope hereof let vs beare wyth better wyl our bytter burthens which we feele and shall feele in thys miserable world We haue cause to thanke god that maketh this worlde vnto vs a wyldernes If so be therein we bee patient kisse gods todde and humble oure selues before God assuredly we shall come into the most pleasaunt land of rest Wherfore good Sister as I said I say again be mery with sorrow reioyce in hope be pacient in trouble pray in affliction amongest other I pray you hartely pray for me that god woulde forgeue me my vnthankefulnes not onelye against you which is great in dede but also agaynste all hys people but specially agaynst hys maiesty As I can I shall commende you vnto the tuition of our shepeharde Christe who alwayes kepe vs as hys Lambes for hys holy names sake Amen Your afflicted brother Iohn Bradford ¶ To a faythfull frende of hys whome for hys godly symplicity and synglenes of hart in the wayes of the Lorde he called Nathanaell as he doth also here in thys letter THe merciful God and father of our Sauiour Iesus Christ which loueth vs as a most dere father and hath put vpon hym towardes vs the affectiō of a most tender mother towards her chyldren so that he can no lesse thynke vpon vs althoughe of oure selues we bee moste vnworthye and deserue nothyng lesse then she can thynke on her onelye begotten childe in hys distresse yea if she should forget her childe as some vnnaturall mother will doe yet wyll he neuer forgette vs althoughe for a tyme he seme to slepe that we myghte bee occasioned to call loude and awake hym thys good GOD keepe you my deare brother Nathanaell and your good yokefellowe my hartelye beloued Sister in the Lorde in all thyngs nowe and for euer to hys glorye and your eternall comforte and also of hys goodnesse he graunte you both the feeling of that hope whiche vndoubtedlye he hath layde vppe in stoore for you both farre passing the store and prouision not onely whiche you had made but all the worlde is hable to make as I truste alreadye he hath wroughte it in you but I beseche hym to encrease it more and more and kindle in you a hartye longing for the enioying of the same the whiche once felte and had indeede then the meanes by the whiche we come thereto can not be so greatly dredde as most mē do dread thē because either they want this feling I meane it of altogether or elles because the sense of thys presente tyme and thynges therein are as a myste to the hyding of those thynges from oure syghte least we shoulde runne and embrace them by hartye prayer the spirite whereof God graunte vs and in deede we shoulde attayne enough in this behalfe if we continued therein For auriculer confession wherein you desyre my aduice for your good yokefellowe and familye my moste dere brother I am as readye to geue it as you to desire it yea more gladde forasmuch as halfe a suspitiō was in me at the least touching my dere sister your wife of a lothing of my aduice that too muche had beene geuen where in deede I shoulde lamente my to little feeding you spirituallye as both you oute of pryson and in pryson haue fedde me corporallye But as I alwayes thoughte of her so I yet thynke that she is the childe of GOD whom God dearely loueth and wyll in hys good tyme to her eternall comforte geue her her hartes desire in sure feelyng and sensible beleuyng of thys which I would she had often in her mynde namely that he is her God and father throughe Christe Iesus oure deare Lorde and Sauiour A greater seruice to God shee can not geue
corruption And let vs consider these thinges so that we wholy may bende our selues to put away all the oldenes of our flesh whence in dede corruption and death doth come and that we may prouoke our selues to the newnes of the spirite and the lyfe of Christe wherin is all incorruption and the true taste of the resurrection for to thys ende the holy ghost dyd wryte this by the Apostle That therfore this spirit might lead vs hereunto let vs pray then we shall vnderstand this place of Paule wyth profit If perchaunce it wyll moue you that the Apostle speaketh not of thys delyueraunce of the creature from corruption in anye other place but here neither anye other holye wryter I would you would thynke that the misery of the restauration of Israel also of Antichrist is not expounded but in the Apostels writyngs and that but in one place yea the manner of our resurrection is not written but in .ij. places We oughte to knowe that they are the wordes of the Lorde what soeuer the Apostle hathe lefte to vs written Again the simplicity of this place Rom. 8 is plaine And thus my dearely beloued I haue written to you so muche as I thynke is sufficient about thys mater and therfore nede not to tary herein any longer or to spende anye more tyme about the answeryng of that which is but curiositye God our father geue vs nowe hys holye spirite to leade vs into thys and all other necessary truth in such sort that we may haue a liuely feelyng of eternall lyfe begonne in vs that we may become first new and so loke for new heauen and earthe wherin ryghteousnes dwelleth which God impute to vs and begynne in vs for hys Christes sake Amen Amen Your owne for euer in the Lorde Iohn Bradford ⧠Certayne letters of mayster Thomas Whyttel a godlye and a faythefull Minyster and preacher of gods worde who after he had relented by the tyrannye and cruel dealyng of Bonner returned agayne wyth greate constancye and stoode to the defence of the truthe vnto the fyre The .12 of Ianuary In the yeare of our Lorde 1556. To my beloued frende and faythfull Brother in Christe Iohn Careles prysoner in the Kynges Benche THe peace of god in Christ be wyth you continually dearely beloued brother in Christe with the assistaunce of gods grace and holye spirite to the workyng and performyng of those thynges which may comforte and edifye hys churche as ye daily do to the glorye of hys name and the increase of your ioy and comforte of soule in thys lyfe and also your rewarde in heauen wyth Christ our captayn whose faythful souldiour you are in the lyfe to come Amen I haue greatly reioyced my deare hart with thankes to god for you synce I haue heard of your fayth and loue towards god and hys saintes wyth a most godly ardent zeale to the verity of Christes doctrine and religiō which I haue heard by the reporte of many but specially by the declaryng of that valiaunt captaine in Christes church that stout chāpion in gods cause that spectacle to the world I meane our good brother Philpot who now lyeth vnder the aultare swetely enioyeth the promysed rewarde And speciallye I my condemned fellowes geue thankes to God for your louyng and comfortable letter in the depenes of our trouble after the fleshe sente vnto vs to the consolation of vs al but most specially to me most sinfull myser on mine owne behalfe but happy I hope through godslouing kindnes in Christ shewed vnto me who suffred me to fainte and fayle through humayne infirmity by the workyng of the Archenemye in hys sworne souldiours the byshops and priestes In whome so liuely appeareth the verye visage and shape of Satan that a man if it wer not preiudice to gods word might wel affirme them to be Deuils incarnate as I by experiēce do speake Wherfore who so shal for consciēce matters come into their hands had nede of the wilines of the Serpent to saue hys head though it be with the woundyng of his body and to take diligent hede how he consenteth to theyr wycked writyngs or setteth hys hand to their couenaūtes Sore dyd they assault me and craftelye tempte me to theyr wycked wayes or at least to a denegation of my faythe and true opinions though it were but by colour and dissimulation and alas somethyng they dyd preuayle Not that I any thyng at all lyked their opinions and false papisticall religion or els doubted of the truth wherin I stand but only the infirmity of the flesh begyled me desiryng lyberty by an vnlawfull meanes God lay it not to my charge at that day so I desire you hartely to pray How be it vncertain I am whether more profite or disprofite came therby profit to me in that god suffred Satan to buffit me by his foresayd ministers of myschiefe shewyng me mine infirmitye that I should not boste nor reioyce in my selfe but only in the Lord. Who when he had led me to hel in my conscience through the respect of hys fearefull iudgementes agaynste me for my fearefulnes mistrust and crafty clokyng in suche spirituall and weighty matters in the whiche myne agony distresse I found thys old verse true Non patitur ludum fama fides oculus yet he left me not there but brought me from thence againe to the magnifieng of hys name suspectyng of fleshe and bloud and cōsolation of myne own soule also that I myght fele the disprofite in offending the congregatiō of god which peraduenture will rather adiudge my fal to come of doutfulnes in my doctrine religion thē of humain imbecillity Wel of the importune burdē of a troubled consciēce for denying or dissembling the knowē verity I by experience could saye very much more which perhaps I wil declare by writyng to the warnyng of other if god graunt time for now am I my fellowes redy to go hēce euen for Christes cause Gods name be praysed who hathe hetherto called vs. Pray I pray you that we may end our course wyth ioy and at your appointed tyme you shal come after But as the Lord hath kepte you so wyll he preserue your lyfe styll to the intent you should labour as you do to appease and conuince these vngodly contentions and controuersies which now do to muche raigne brauwlyng about termes to no edification GOD is dishonoured the church disquieted and occasion to speake euyll of the Gospel ministred to our aduersaries But such is the subtilty of Sathan that whom he cannot wynne with grosse idolatrye in open religion them he seketh to corrupt and deceyue in opinions in a priuate profession But here I wyl abrutply leaue least wyth my rudenes and symplicity I shuld be tedious to you desiring you my louyng brother if it shal not seme greuous vnto you to wryte vnto me and my fellowes yet once agayne if you may haue leasure and we tyme to the same and sende me worde
of the wycked that you maye shortly receaue the glorious crowne of victory and in the same tryumphe ouer all your enemies foreuermore Amen I cannot expresse the excedyng great ioy consolation of my poore hart considering the meruelous workes of God most gratiously wrought vpō you not only in prouing you tryeng your faith by his great huge crosses both inwardly and outwardly but also in geuyng you so great consolation constancy in the middes of the same Faithful is god true of his promises who hath said that he wil neuer suffer his chosen children to be tēpted aboue their strength but in the middes of their temptatiō wil make an outscape for thē by such meanes as may make to his glory and their euerlastyng consolation My deare hart great cause haue you to be of good comfort for I see in you as lyuely a token of Gods euerlasting loue sauour in Iesus Christ as euer I perceiued in any man In respect wherof I do euē with my hart loue honour and reuerence you besechyng god for his glorious names sake in the bowels blood of our lord and only Sauiour Iesus christ to finish his good worke in you as I doubt not but he wil do according to his vnfallible promyses yea I am wel assured therof forasmuch as you haue so effectuallye receiued his holye spirite into your harte as a pledge sure seale of your eternal redēption a testimonye of your adoptiō in Christ Iesu For which cause Sathan so sore enuieth you that he hath now bente all his fierce ordynaunce against you thinking therby vtterly to destroy the inuincible forte of your faith founded most firmely vpon the vnmoueable rocke christ against the which the deuil sinne nor yet hell gates shal neuer preuaile Selah Therfore mine owne bowels in the lord be not discomforted for this your conflicte which doutles shal greatly encrease your crowne of glorye triumphe and victorye but take a good hart vnto you and buckle boldly with Sathan both in himself and in his suttle mēbers It is the very diuine ordinaunce of god that all his regenerate children shal be tempted proued and tried as we see by the exāple of our Sauiour Christe who as sone as he was baptised was straight waies led of the holy ghost into the wildernes ther to be tēpted of the deuill But there got he such a glorious victory of Satan that he could neuer since finally preuaile against any of his poore mēbers but in euery assault that he maketh either inwardly or outwardly he getteth a foile and taketd shame so that now he rageth with al the spite possible specially because he knoweth his tyme is but short Iames. 4. Saincte Iames testifieth that he is but a very coward that wil sone flye if he be faithfully resisted And as for his temptinge tooles the Lord hath made them manifest vnto vs so that he cannot deceiue vs though he assaulte vs for as Sainte Paule saythe 2. Cor. 3 hys verye thoughtes are not vnknowen to vs as it dothe in you largely appeare praysed bee the Lordes name therfore You see deare brother that now to molest you suche as you are that be euen passyng frō this vale of misery he hath but two waies or two pieces of ordinance to shoote at you wyth the whiche he cannot hurte you because you haue two bulwarkes to defend you The first of these terrible gunnes that Sathan hath shotte at you is the very same that he continually shooteth at me that is to say feare and infidelity for the vglesomnes of death horrour of my sinnes which be so many greuous and greate But this pellet is easily put away with the sure shield of faith in the most precious death and bloodsheding of our deare Lord and only Sauiour Iesus Christ whome the father hath geuen vnto vs wholy to be oures for euermore wyth him hath geuen vs al things as Paule saith so that though we be neuer so great sinners yet Christ is made vnto vs holines righteousnes and iustification He hathe clothed vs wyth all hys merites mercies and most swete sufferyngs and hath taken vnto hym al our misery wretchednes synne and infirmitie So that if anye should nowe be condemned for the same it must nedes be Iesus Christ which hath taken them vpō him But in dede he hath made satisfactiō for thē to the vttermost iote so that for his sake thei shal neuer be imputed to vs if they wer a thousād times so many moe as they be This do you most effectuously feele and know dere brother a great deale better then I can tel you blessed be God therefore And now Sathan seyng that he cannot preuaile wyth hys boistrous battery against this bulwarke of fayth which doth so quenche al his fiery dartes that they can do you no harme but rather do you good seruice to cast you down vnder the mighty hand of God that he may take you vp by his only grace power so you may render hym al the glory by Iesus Christ which thyng the enemy cannot abyde in no wise therfore he shooteth of his other piece most pestilent to prouoke you to put some parte of your truste and confidence in your selfe in your own holines righteousnes that you might that way robbe god of hys glory Christ of his honour and dignity of his death But blessed be the Lord God you haue also a full strong bulwarke to beate backe this pestiferous pellet also euen the pure law of god which proueth the best of vs al dānable sīners in the sight of god if he would enter into iudgement with vs accordyng to the seuerity of the same that euen our best workes are polluted defyled in such sort as the Prophet describeth them Wyth which maner of speakyng Esay 64. our freewyl Phariseis are muche offended for it felleth all mans righteousnes to the groūde I had lyke to haue sayd to the botome of hel and extolleth only the righteousnes of Iesus Christ which is allowed before god is frely geuen to all those that firmely beleue as blessed be god you do Ah my good brother Tymmes Satan hath put his hand in a wrong boxe when he beginneth to tempt you either to vayne glory or mystrust for you are an olde beaten souldiour and haue had good experience of these maner of temptations both by your selfe other whom you know wel were the beloued of god Be of good chere therfore deare harte be of good chere for now Satan hath wrought al hys malice he hath done al that he can and hath shotte of al hys last pieces wherw t he had thought to haue done most mischief but now he seeth he can not preuaile the strong tower of your fayth beyng so inuincible he wyll plucke vp al hys tentes and gette him to some other place to practise the like assaultes and then wil the aungels of god come and minister vnto
might be the better by them if he returne not agayne Euen so dearly beloued and ryght worshipfull my good frendes I hauing shortlye to passe vnto my heauenly inheritaunce whiche is hidden with Christ to our common countrey and eternal dwelling place which we shal haue ◠god neuer to returne before the latter day in the whiche our soules shall come to iudgement and receaue their bodyes to be glorifyed according to their doings haue thought it my dutye to cōmunicate vnto you somthing with whō I haue foūd great humanitie of the fewe heauenly treasures with the whiche God among others hath endued me in Christe whereby he hath made me his childe and assuredly the enheritour of the kingdome of heauen wich all those which vnfaynedly loue him and constantly cleaue to his holy gospell and that is by the renouation of his Image whereunto man was first created lyke vnto god which is to be in the fauour of God to know God truly to liue iustely to delight feruently in the contēpplacion of God to bee continually happye to be immortall voyde of al corruption and sinne the which blessed Image through synne is deformed in vs and in maner loste sauing that it hath pleased GOD of his mercye who willeth not the death of a sinner to restore that Image by grace throughe knowledge and beliefe of the Gospell whiche otherwyse in our nature is cleane suppressed extinguished Therefore we knowing the greate and lamentable losse whiche we doe sustaine in Adam ought moste earnestly to seeke the recouerye thereof that we mighte eternallye liue like vnto God in immortalitie and felicitie the whiche we shall neuer recouer vnlesse we goe aboute to mortifye our outwarde man all the dayes of our life more and more and bee renewed in spirite according to the true knowledge of GOD the whiche if we bee then may we bee assured that we haue found that ioye felicitie and eternall life whiche Adam had in paradise yea and more then that tenne thousand folde for that it is suche as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard neither the hart cā cōceaue which christ hath prepared for vs. This image of god whosoeuer by faith doth fynd he hath found the most precious treasure that any man can finde for he is euen here a citizen of heauen and in possession of eternal life Therefore I cōmit vnto you principally a dailye care of the renouation of this image as the chiefest iewel you can desire in this world And hereof now I am the more moued to put you in remembraunce because I loue you entierly in the lord and desyre your fellowshyp which the iniquity of our tyme will not permit me to enioy here And for asmuche as we haue a better life to come then this present is an eternall societie with Christ whiche neyther the malice of tyme neither the distance of place can dissolue or separate I exhort you now as one that hath obtained mercy of god in the reparacion of hys image in me to embrace the care therof with earnest desyre to attayn the same wherby we shal al haue a perfect fruition of our loue frendship which alreadye we haue here begon with god in heauen shal bee wythout all doute made ioyfully perfect Let this be a perpetual remembrance of your poore afflicted frend which daily loketh through fire to enter into that eternal life where he trusteth assuredly to enioy your fellowship if the image of god be renued in you through the knowledge of Christ which you haue receyued do know Loke whose image the coyne beareth his it is Semblably if your conuersation be after the gospell verely you are the elect of Christ but if it be according to the world his seruants you are whom your lyfe doth expresse We haue all in Baptisme put on Christ whom if we endeuour to represēt we are in dede the sonnes of God and inheritours wyth Christ One good rule S. Paule to the Rom. in the xij chap. doth appoint for the restauration of this our image of God Fashion not your selues saith he vnto thys world but be ye chaūged in your shape by the renewyng of your mynde that ye maye proue what is the will of god which thing is good acceptable perfect God graūt that this rule may take place with you then doutles our companye shall be inseparable wyth all the saynts of God in eternall blesse Be you not deceyued by the vayne possessions and vncertayne pleasures of this worlde whiche serue to none other purpose then to blynde your eyes that they mighte not behold the things which be glorious and permanent for euer The thynges whiche we see are mortall but the thynges which we see not but certainly hope for be immortall For all flesh as the Prophete Esay saythe is but grasse and the glory therof as the flower of the fielde Oh that you whiche haue the possessions of thys world would so accompt thē not sel your eternal inheritance for a messe of porrige as Esau dyd God open your eyes that you may see the glory of Christ in the mount wyth Peter Iohn and Iames. Then I doubte not you would say with Peter Lord it is good for vs to abyde here let vs here make our dwelling places We haue in this world no fyrme mansion but we seke after that which is to come the which yf we seke nowe where it maye be found we shal surely finde it If we mortify the image of Adam which through synne raigneth in our flesh then shal the image of Christ reuiue in vs to our eternall glorye We are all baptised to die wyth Christe to the ende we shoulde walke in newnes of lyfe as persons dead to the world and liuyng to God And if we dye with hym by crucifieng our concupiscence and lustes we shall eternally lyue Infidelitie is the cause of all our misery which causeth vs to feare mā more then GOD and to esteme the thynges presence more then the thynges to come God illighten our eyes that we may vnderstand how precious an inheritaunce Christ hath prepared for suche as hunger and thurst therafter Then I doubte not we would say wyth Sayncte Paule I am surely persuaded that neyther deathe nor lyfe neyther Aungels nor rule neyther power neyther thynges present neyther thynges to come neyther anye other treasure or creature shall separate vs from the loue whych is in Christe Iesus The Lorde encrease our fayth and geue vs hys holy spirite to discerne wyth our selues howe muche we are growen in hys image and are lyke vnto hym for howe muche we are vnlyke to the worlde so muche more are we like vnto god and so much the more do we approche vnto hym The lord drawe you by hys holye spirite and fashion you vnto hys lykenes that we may eternally lyue together The meanes to come therevnto is diligent exercise in gods worde continuall and faithfull prayer a desyre and loue to
body blood offred once for al. This I know my good sister you do constaÌ„tly coÌ„fesse beleue as the godly fruite of your christiaÌ„ fayth doth dayly testify I trust to be a witnes with you at the great day that your fayth is vnfayned ful of godly charitie the lord encrease the same I am constrayned here to make an end full sore agaynst my will My poore prayers shall supply that whiche my penne doth lacke The blessing of God be with you nowe and euer Amen Your dayly Oratour Iohn Careles A letter of M. John Rough wrytten a little before hys death to the Christian congregation in London whereof he was a minister and Preacher THe comfort of the holy ghost make you able to geue consolation to others in these daungerous dayes when Sathan is let lose to the tryal of the chosen when it pleaseth our God to sift his wheate from the chaffe I haue not leasure and time to write the great temptations I haue bene vnder I speake to Gods glorye my care was to haue the senses of my soule open to perceaue the voyce of god saying who that denieth me before men them wil I denie before my father his Angels and to saue the life corporall is to lose the life eternall and he that will not suffer with Christe shall not reigne with him Therefore moste tender ones I haue by Gods spirite geuen ouer the fleshe with the fyghte of my soule and the spirite hath the victorye The fleshe shall nowe ere it be longe leaue of to sinne the spyrite shall reygne eternallye I haue chosen the death to confyrme the truth by me taughte What can I doe more Consider with your selues that I haue done it for confyrmation of Gods truth Praye that I maye continue vnto the ende The great parte of the assaulte is paste I prayse my GOD. I haue in all my assaultes felte hys presente ayde I geue hym moste hartye thankes therefore Loke not backe nor bee ye ashamed of Christes Gospell nor of the bondes I haue suffered for the same thereby ye maye bee assured it is the true word of God The holy ones haue bene sealed with the same marke It is no tyme for the losse of one man in the battel for the campe to turne backe Vp with mens hartes blowe downe the dawbed walles of heresyes Let one take the Banner an other the Trumpet I meane not to make corporall resistance but praye and ye shall haue Elias defence and Heliseus companye to fight for you for the cause is the lords Now my brethren I can write no more tyme will not suffer and my harte wyth panges of death is assaulted but I am at home wyth my God yet alyue Pray for me and salute one an other wyth the holy kysse The peace of God reste with you all Amen From Newgate pryson in hast the day of my condeÌ„nation Iohn Rough. A letter of Cutberte Symson a Deacon of the Christian congregation in London burnt in Smythfielde for the veretye of Christes Gospell written to his wyfe out of the Colehouse MY dearelye beloued in the Lorde Iesus Christe Of the exceeding cruell vnmercifull Rackings and other tormeÌ„ts that thys man of God most paciently suffred read see in the boke of Martyrs Fol. 16â—1 I can not wryte as I doe wyshe vnto you I besethe you with my soule submytte your self vnder the mighty hand of our God trusting in hys mercy and he will surely helpe vs as shal be moste vnto hys glorye and oure euerlasting comforte being sure of thys that he will suffer nothing to come vnto vs but that which shal be most profitable for vs. For it is eyther a correction for oure synnes or a tryall of oure fayth or to set forth hys glorye or for altogether and therefore muste needes be well done for there is nothing that commeth vnto vs by fortune or chauÌ„ce but by our heauenly fathers prouidence And therfore pray vnto our heauenly father that he wil euer geue vs his grace so to consider it Let vs geue him most harty thankes for these hys fatherly corrections for as many as he loueth he correcteth And I besech you now be of good chere counte the crosse of Christ greater riches then al the vaine pleasures of England I do not doubt I prayse God for it but that you haue supped with Christ at his Maundie I meane that you beleue in him for that is the effect theÌ„ must you drinke of his cup I meane his crosse for that doth the cup signifye vnto vs. Take the cup with a good stomacke in the name of god then shal you be sure to haue the good wine Christs blood to your poore thirstye soule And when you haue the wine you muste drinke it out of this cup. Learne this wheÌ„ you come to the Lords supper Pray continually In al things geue thankes Cutbert Symson A letter of VVilliam Coker then prysoner in Caunterburye and afterwarde burnt for the testimonye of the truth wrytten to a frend of hys AS your hartye frend in god and through the mercy of our lord Iesus Christ as pertaining to the fayth your brother I send you greting most ChristiaÌ„ salutations For your kindenes in that you wrote so spedely to me again I coÌ„mend you thanke god for it though of necessitie you say you were partly moued so to do by reasoÌ„ of my bondes in the Lorde I hartely ioyed by occasioÌ„ of your letter because I vnderstode thereby the state of mine olde frends godly acquaintance and how ye al continually labour as we do in the Gospel of Christ which is the worde of saluation to as many as beleue Wherin we haue this coÌ„fidence through our fayth in the blood of Christ the thoughe Sathan his rabble of ministers doe rage neuer so muche with lying deceaueable power yea though he shoulde appeare neuer so glorious Angellike in the sight of the world yet shal his fiery dartes be quenched he neuer able to preuaile against vs. For the which testimonye of conscience I geue thankes vnto god froÌ„ the bottome of my hart praye alwaies vnto the Lord that as we haue begonne eueÌ„ so we may go forwardes vnto the end vntil the time that the darknes be cleane put away and the perfect light shine in oure harts soules bodyes in the eternal kingdome with god where we shal be sure our enemies shal not preuaile agaiÌ„st vs but then most victoriouslye be ouercome by that sweete Lambe the sonne of God In the meane time the Lord preserue keepe vs froÌ„ euil The Lorde make vs stoute in hys cause geue vs grace to confesse the truth before thys whorysh generation The Lord graunt we may worke his heauenly wil that when the time shal come he may receaue vs vnto himself in the glory euerlasting To whom be prayse honour for euer and euer Amen Your brother in bondes for the
mercy and not sacrifice Reade the 25. chap. of Math. The third is wheÌ„ we make our body a quick sacrfice holy acceptable vnto God that is when we mortify and kil our fleshly concupisâ—nces and carnall lustes so bring our flesh through the helpe of the spirite vnder the obedience of Gods holy law This is a sacrifice to god most acceptable which the apostle calleth our reasonable seruing of God And let vs be sure that vnlesse we doe nowe at thys present take better hede to our selues and vse thankefullye the grace of God offred to vs by the gospell preaching these yeares past wherby we are induced brought to the knowlege of the truth Ephes 3 vnlesse I say we kepe Christ and his holy word dwellyng by faith in the house and teÌ„ple of our harts the same thyng that Christ threatneth vnto the Iewes shal happen vnto vs Math. 14 that is to wytte the vncleane spirite of ignoraunce superstition idolatry and infidelitie or vnbeliefe the mother and head of all vices which by the grace of god was cast out of vs bringyng with him seuen other spirites worse then hymself shal to our vtter destruction returne again into vs so shal we be in a worse case then euer we wer before 1. Pet. 2 For if we after we haue escaped from the fylthines of the world through the knowlege of the lord and sauiour Iesus Christ be yet tangled therin agayne ouercome then is the latter ende worse then the beginning it had bene better for vs not to haue knoweÌ„ the way of ryghteousnes then after we haue knowen it to turne from the holy coÌ„maundemeÌ„t geueÌ„ vnto vs Prouer. 26 for it happeneth theÌ„ vnto vs according to the true prouerbe the dogge is turned to his vomite agayne and the sow that was washed to wallowyng in the myre And thus to continue and perseuer in infidelitie to kicke against the manifest and knowen truth and so to dye without repentaunce and with a dispayre of the mercye of god in Iesu Christ is to sinne agaynst the holy ghost which shal not be forgeuen neither in thys worlde neyther in the world to come Math. 23 Heb. 6 For it is not possible saieth S. Paule that they which were once lighted and haue tasted of the heauenly gyft and were become partakes of the holy ghost haue tasted of the good word of god of the power of the world to come if they fal away should be renued again â–ª by repentaÌ„ce for asmuch as they haue as concernyng themselues crucified the sonne of god againe makynge a mockynge of hym Sainct Paules meaning in this place is that they that beleue truly vnfainedly gods word do continue abide sted fast in the knoweÌ„ truth If any therfore fal away froÌ„ Christ and his word it is a plaine tokeÌ„ that they were but dissembling hypocrites Math. 26 for al their faire faces outwardly neuer beleued truely as Iudas Simon Magus Demas Hymeneus Philetus others wer which al fel away froÌ„ the knowen verity made a mocke af Christ which S. Paule dothe cal here to crucify Christ a newe because that they turning to their old vomit again did most blaspemously tread the benefites of christes death passion vnder their fete They that are such caÌ„ in no wise be cenued by repeÌ„tance for their repeÌ„tance is fleshly as the repeÌ„tance of Caine Saule and Iudas was which being without godly coÌ„fort breedeth desperatioÌ„ vnto death These are not of the nuÌ„ber of thelect as S Iohn doth say they went out froÌ„ vs but they were not of vs 1 Iohn 2. for if they had bene of vs they woulde haue remained with vs vnto the ende Also the apostle saith in an other place Heb. 10 yf we sinne willingly after that we haue receiued the knowlege of the truth ther remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne but a fearful loking for iudgemeÌ„t violent fyre which shal deuoure the aduersaries They sinne willingly which of a set malyce and purpose do wthold the truth in vnrighteousnes lying Rom. 1. kyâ—kyng against the manifest open knowen truthe which although they do perfectly know that in all the worlde there is none other sacrifice for sinne but only that omnisufficieÌ„t sacrifice of christes death yet notwithstanding they wyll not commit theÌ„selues wholy vnto it but rather despise it allowyng other sacrifices for synne â—inueÌ„ted by the imaginatioÌ„ of man as we see by daily experience vnto whoÌ„ yf they abide stil in their wickednes and sinne remaineth a most horrible and dreadful iudgement This is that synne vnto death for whych S. Iohn would not that a man should pray Wherfore my derely beloued in Christ 1. Iohn 5 1. Cor. 10 Apoc. 12 Math. 24. Rom. 1 let vs on whoÌ„ the endes of the worlde are come take diligeÌ„t hede vnto our selues that now in these last perilous tymes in the which the Deuil is come doune hath great wrath because he knoweth his time is but short wherof the prophets Christ the apostles haue so much spokeÌ„ geueÌ„ vs so earnest forewarning we wthold not the truth in vnrighteousnes beleuing doing or speaking any thing against out knowlege coÌ„scieÌ„ce or wtout faith For if we do so for what cause soeuer it be Iohn 8. phi .. 2. Math. 3 it is a wilful obstinate infidelity a sinne vnto deathe as our Sauiour Christ saieth if ye beleue not ye shall die in your sinnes For vnlesse we hold fast the word of life both beleuing it also bring forth fruit worthy of repeÌ„tance we shal with that vnprofitable figge tree which did but cuÌ„ber the ground Luke 13 bee cut doune our talent taken froÌ„ vs geuen vnto an other that shal put it to a better vse we through our own vnthaÌ„kfulnes put froÌ„ the mercy of god Matth. 18. shal neuer be able to pay our debts that is to say we shall altogether bee lost and vndone Heb. 6. For the earth that drinketh in the rayne that commeth ofte vppon it and bryngeth foorth herbes meete for them that dresse it receyueth blessing of God But that grounde that beareth thornes and brears is reproued and is nygh vnto cursyng whose ende is to be burned Neuertheles dere frendes we trust to see better of you and such things as accompany saluation and that ye being that ground watered with moistnes of gods word plenteously preached amongs you Luke 8 Iames. 1. wil with a good hart heare the worde of god kepe it bringing forthe fruite with patience and bee none of those forgetfull and hypocritishe hearers whiche althoughe they heare the worde Math. 13 yet the Deuil commeth and catcheth away that which was sowen in the hart eyther hauyng no roote in themselues endure but a season and as sone as tribulation or persecution aryseth because of the worde by and by they are