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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	life_n	work_n	7,030	5	6.3476	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10781	A pituous lamentation of the miserable estate of the churche of Christ in Englande in the time of the late reuolt from the gospel, wherin is conteyned a learned comparison betwene the comfortable doctrine of the gospell, [and] the traditions of the popish religion: with an instruction how the true Christian ought to behaue himself in the tyme of tryall. Wrytten by that worthy martyr of god Nicolas Rydley, late Bysshoppe of London. Neuer before this tyme imprynted. Wherevnto are also annexed certayne letters of Iohn Careles, written in the tyme of his imprisonment. Perused and allowed according to the Quenes Maiesties iniunctions.	Ridley, Nicholas, 1500?-1555.; Careless, John, fl. 1564-1566.	1566 (1566)	STC 21052; ESTC S110643	38,326	116

be slaine as they were Now thou O man of God for our Lords sake let vs not for the loue of this life tary them to longe and be occasion of delay of that glorious cōsummation in hope and expectation wherof thei departed in the lord and the which also the liuing end●ed with Gods spirit ought so earnestly to desire and to grone for with al the creatures of God Let vs all with Iohn the seruant of God cry in our harts vnto our sauiour Christ Veni domme Iesu come Lorde Iesu come For then when christ which is our life shal be made manifest and apeare with him in glory thē shal the children of god appeare what thei be euen like vnto Christ for this our weake body shall be transfygurated and made lyke vnto Christes glorious body that by the power wherby he is able to subdue vnto himself all thinges Then that which is now corruptible shall be made incorruptible that is nowe vyle shal thē be made glorious that is nowe weake shal rise then mighty and strong that is grosse and carnal shal be made fine and spirituall for thē we shal see haue the vnspeakable ioy and fruition of the glorious maiesty of our lorde euen as he is Who or what then shall let vs to ieopard to leopard yea to spend this life which we haue here in Christes cause in our lorde God his cause O thou therefore man of god thou that arte loden and so letted lyke vnto a great bellied woman ▪ that thou canst not fly the plague yet if thou lust after such things as I haue spoken of stand fast what soeuer shall befall in thy maysters cause and take thys thy letting to fly for a calling of god to feighte in thy maister Christe hys cause Of this be thou certaine they can do nothing vnto thee which thy father is not aware of or hathe not foresene before they can do no more then it shal please him to suffer them to do for the furtheraunce of his glory edifyinge of his church and thyne owne saluation Lette them then doe what they shal seing to thee O man of God all thinges shall be forced to serue and to worcke with thee vnto the best before God O be not afraide and remember the ende All thys whiche I haue spoken for the comfort of the lamentable case of the man whō christ calleth the great bellied woman I meane to be spokē likewise to the captiue and prisoner in Gods cause for suche I count to be as it were already summoned and prested to fight vnder the banner of the crosse of Chryste and as it were souldiours allowed and taken vp for the Lords warres to do to their lord and maister good and honorable seruice and to stycke to him as men of trustie seruice in his cause euen vnto death and to thinke their life lost in his cause is to winne it in eternall glory for euermore Therefore now to conclude and to make an ende of this treatise I saye vnto all that loue God our heauenly father that loue Christe Iesus oure redemer and Sauioure that loue to folowethe wayes of the holy ghoste which is our comforter and sanct●●er of all vnto all that loue Christes spouse and body the true catholicke churche of Christe yea that loue life ther owne soules health I say vnto all theis harken my deare brethrē and sisters all you that be of God of all sortes ages dignities or degre harken to the worde of our sauioure Iesus Christe spoken to his Apostels and ment to all his in Saincte Mathewes Gospell Feare not theym whiche kyll the bodye for they can not kil the soule but feare him more whiche maie destroye and caste both bodye and soule into ●ell fyer Are not twoo small-sparrowes ●old for a mite and one of them shal not fal or light vpon the ground without your father All the hears of your head be numbred Feare them not you are much more worth then are the littel sparrowes Euery one then that confesseth me before mē him shal I likwise confesse before my father which is in heauen But whosoeuer shal denye me before men I shall denye him likewyse before my father whyche is in heauen The lord graunt vs therfore of his heauenly grace strength that here we may so confesse him in this world amongest this adulterous and sinfull generation that he maye confesse vs again at the latter day before his father which is in heauen to his glory and our euerlasting comforte ioy and saluation To our heauēly father to our sauiour redemer Iesus Christ and to the holy ghost be al glory and honor now and for euer Amen ⸫ CERTEYNE Godly and comfortable letters of the constaut wytnes of Christ Iohn Careles written in the time of his imprisonment and now fyrste set forth in printe ⸫ Anno Domini 1566. Thomas Pirry to the Christian reader in commendacion of that worthy man of god Iohn Careles MUch care did carefull Careles bide in time of Romishe rage Whē flesh bloud with fier was tried to make mennes faith to swage But god be thanked for his grace who did him so defende that in the truth he ran his race and made a godly ende No man more carefull for the crosse of Christe his sauinge health no man more careles for the losse of frendes and worldly wealth When he was hated and abhorde of Cayphas and his sede he cast his care vpon the Lorde and Careles was in dede For why he knewe that worldly power no farther coulde procede then god whose worde doth still endure already had decrede And that the Lorde would in the ende worke all things for the best when of great mercy he shoulde sende his soule to ioyfull rest In hope wherof he careles was and ready to the stake if god so woulde he did not passe such ende on earth to make But gods will was he should not die such death in open sighte wherefore in prison ioyfully to Christ he yelde his sprite Psalme 54. Caste thy care vpon the lorde and he shall nouryshe thee he wil not suffer the righteous to fall for euer ¶ The grace and free mercy of God in Iesus Chryst the swete consolations of the holy ghost the guide of all Gods dere children be with you strengthen and comforte you my derely beloued swete sister K. E. nowe euer Amen AL be it my derly beloued syster in Chryste that as yet we dyd neuer see one an other personally to any knowledge yet by the vertuous reporte that I haue heard of you and also by the large louynge token that I haue receaued frō you my thinke that I doe euen presently see you beholde your person faithfully walkinge in the feare and loue of god ioying and reioycing with you in the spirite as though we were swetly talkynge together of Christes veritie The lorde god do I humbly besech in the bowels and bloude of our lorde and sauyour

and also to abstaine moste willinglye from all thinges that be detestable in his sighte what daunger so euer shoulde ensue to you for the same But in dede my dear hart to be plaine with you I doe heare to my great grief that the due consideration of this greate loue and infinite mercy of god hath not yet effectuously wrought al these aforesaid things in you according to my lōng expectacion but it is enformed me by credible persons ▪ that you notwithstanding the great loue of God towards you and the excellent knowledge he hath so graciouslye geuen you before many other doe yet manye times defile your faith or mariage garment with comming into the companye of filthy idolaters at the time of theyr Antechristian seruice Trulye if it be so it is a token that the great abundant bottomles loue mercy of God towardes you hath not yet in suche sorte ben considered of you that it hath as it ought to haue done swalowed vp all the vaine loue of the worlde Ah where is true faith become and liuely seling of Gods mercy that were wont to make the children of god diligent to kepe Goddes commaundementes and merilye to beare his crosse But perchaunce you do not thinke it a breaking of Gods commaundementes to goe to the Idols temple and to bee present with the papistes at their supersticious seruice c. But god forbid you should be so ignorāt after so many instructiōs in so great weightye a matter For surely the vnknowen sicknes is most daungerous euermore as experience teacheth But I verily thinke at the least wise I hope that youre knoweledge is so great in these things that the daunger in being partaker with the wicked is not hid frō your eyes Therfore your fault is so muche the greater the sorer punishmēt is due for the same But my vndoubted trust is that almighty God our most deare louinge father wyll not leaue you in your weaknesse but wil rayse you vp agayne by true and earnest repentance and geue you such grace and strength of his spirit that henceforth you shal be so far from cominge to anye of theyr abhominable superstition that you shall be able well to persuade this bearer and many other the sainctes of God from the same I knowe deare harte that thys thinge which I requier of you wil bryng a great crosse vnto you as well at the handes of your husband as of many other your worldly frendes and foes But let not that discourage you any thing at all syth you are one of the chosen children of God to whom hys crosse doth specially belonge Let not tribulation for righteousnesse sake seme a straunge thing vnto you but rather reioyce and be glad that God will vouche you worthye of so great dignity For trulye it is the greatest honor that God can bringe his elect vnto in this mortall life I meane to make them his witnesses to the world and to make them worthye to suffer for his sake which thinge is not permitted to the highest Angell in heauen albeit I beleue they wolde more reioyce thereof then in all the glorye they haue Oh whye are we then so loth to come to this great promotiō seing it is the verye ordinance of god vppon all his deare chyldren as S. Paule affirmeth saying To you it is geuen not only that you should beleue in Iesus Christ but also that you should suffer for his sake Again he saith all that will liue godlye in Christ Iesu must suffer persecution Oh what cause haue we to reioice if it please God by suffringes to make vs some thing cōformable to the passions of our swete Christ who fyrste suffred for vs and afterward entred into his glorye Wee haue in thys world nothing so much to reioice in as that we are made meete to be vnder the crosse with Chryst. For therby are we assured not onlye that the glorious spirite of god resteth vpon vs but also that we shall reign with Christe and bee glorifyed together with him who hathe testified with his owne mouth that they be blessed which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs saieth he is the kingedome of heauen into the which we must also enter by manye tribulatiōs Happy is he saith christ that endureth to th end Be faithfull vnto death saith the holy ghoste I will geue thee a crowne of life c. But what mean I to make so long a circūstance vnto you my deare hart who knoweth al these things as wel or better then I Oh that you hadde the grace and strēgth to do al things accordinge to youre knowledge I meane concerning the fleing frō Idolatry and suffering for the truth As for al other things I know you are vnspotted praised be god for you Oh that you durste pledge me of the same cup if need do requier wherof the lord of our glory hath not refused himself to drinke before vs and hath left vs an example to folow his fotesteps that he might crowne vs wyth his owne glorye and most precious giftes Oh lord helpe thy deare children that wold faine come vnto the and loke not narowly vpō our sins which are the cause of oure long absence from thee but couer theym for thy Christes sake with the mantell of thy manifold mercies whyche far surmounteth al thy workes that we may not be ashamed but reioyce at thy most glorious comming the which do thou hasten according to thy promise for thy chosens sake We haue deare sister bene of longe season acquainted with this earthlye old man of ours to much which is ful of sin and presseth downe sore our vnderstāding that it is needful for vs to be tried throughe manye trybulations that the rust therof myght be worne awaye that we might be made mete vessels for the lordes owne vse and be sanctifyed to honour Happy is he that endureth chasticinge Whyche blessing my good sister God offereth vnto vs at this present yea and him selfe also as our moste deare louinge father Let vs willingly embrace him therfore and geue thankes vnto his name that hath triumphantly gottē victorye ouer al our ennemies and is now pleading our cause on the right hand of God his father in the kyngdome of heauen where he kepeth possession for vs. To whom if we direct oure eyes wyth a stedfast fayth wee shal not nede to feare neither death synne nor hell for theyr whole power is taken awaye and Christes righteousnes maketh aūswer for vs. Yea he is wholy ours with al his merites mercies and moste swete sufferinges and we are his for euermore so that we may boldly say the lord is our helpe and therfore we wyll not feare what man maye do vnto vs for he is but fleshe and his breath is in hys nostrels but the strengthe of the lord and the power of his word endureth for euer vnto the whyche let vs stedfastly trust then shal we not be confounded My deare frend faithful sister K. thynke no vnkyndnes in me that I write thus boldlye vnto you for verily it is of pure loue and a true hart that I beare vnto you as I am most depely bound yea double and treble I haue plentifully reaped your temporal things god recōpence you for it And ought not I thē much more to sow vnto you some of those spyritual thinges wherewyth God hath blessed me yes truly and euerlastynge woe and damnation were most due and suer vnto me if I did it not God for his christes sake forgeue me my great neglygence in thys behalfe towardes you and al the rest of hys deare children whome I loue in the lord as mine owne soule and thanke God most hartelye that you do me likewyse whych am most vnworthy of the same God geue me the spirite of prayer that I maye therewith supply some part of my duty towardes you for verily I am farre in your debt and so am like to die But my suer trust is that my good God for whose sake I lose lyfe and goods and al earthly commodityes wyl abundantly recompence you wyth his blessyng both spirituall and temporal and in the ende bringe you vnto me in the place of perpetual ioy and quietnes where we shal rest from al our labors and remaine together for euermore There shall we most perfectly know one another personally thoughe in thys lyfe we are not like to doe so for I am alredy proclaimed heretike at Paules crosse I prayse god most hartily for it For nowe I know I shal shortly be with him for whose sake I am so called and shal be yet more solēnely the sūday after Trinity sunday doctor Harpesfield saith ▪ I thanke him for his paines For he hath geuen me good warning to prepare my selfe ready against the daye of slaughter whiche time is not yet in their handes for all their bragges and proud bostinges but in the good wil determinatiō of my most deare God and louinge father And right suer I am that they I meane my enemies and if al the diuels in hell do helpe theym can not shorten my life one minute of an howre otherwyse then GOD hath appoynted for his glory and my eternal profit Therefore vpon him wil I cast all my care be careles according to my name in spite of theym all and tell them I will when I come before them that God doth laughe al their doinges to scorne and shortlye wyll bringe all their counselles to naught to their owne vtter confusion if they be not conuerted For whiche thing let vs praye to him whiche onelye is able to doe it and wyl when he seeth hys good time and pleasure In the meane space the same LORDE geue vs hys peace and pacience with plentiful consolation and ioye in the holy ghost who gouerne guyds lead and conduct vs vnto the very end Thus yet once agayne I commit you vnto Goddes moste mercyfull defence who euer haue you and all youres in hys blessed keping The blessinge of God be wyth you euermore Amen youres for euer moste vnfeynedlye Iohn Careles prysoner of the Lorde at all tymes abidinge his most merciful wyl pleasure Pray pray pray FINIS Imprinted at London by VVillyam Powell dwelling in Fletestrete at the signe of the George nere to Sainct Dunstons Church Apoc. 17. He meaneth hym selfe Math. 24. 2. Cor. 6. Lib. 4. Cap. 15. Apo. 9. Daniel 11. Apoc. 12. Math. 10. Apoc. 2.

for the rest to putte their trust nowe wholy in God whych is able to saue them against all apparau●ce commonly in extremities whē al worldly comforte sayleth and the danger is at highest then vnto his he is wonte after his accustomed mercy to be most ready for to put his helpynge hande Daniell God suffered to be caste into the denne of lions and the thre chyldren into the hotte burning fornace and yet he saued thē all ▪ Paule was plucked out of the mouth of the lion as be saieth of himself and in Asta he was brought in such trouble that he loked for no other thing but for present death yet he that rayseth the deade to lyfe againe did brynge him out of all his troubles and taught him and all other that he in troubles for christes cause not to trust to thēselus but in almighty God Of gods gracious aid in extreme perils toward them the put their trust in him all scripture is ful both olde newe What daūgers were the patriarks often brought vnto as Abrahā Isaac and Iacob but of all other Ioseph how mercifully were thei deliuered againe In what perylles was Moyses when he was faine to flie for the safegard of his life whē was he sent againe to delyuer the Israelytes from the ser●yle bondage not before they were broughte into extreame misery And when dyd the lord mightely deliuer his people from Pharao his sworde not before they were brought in such straytes that they were so compassed en euery side the mayne sea on the one syde the mayne hoste on the other that they could looke for none other yea what didde they ▪ els in dede loke for then but eyther to haue bene drowned in the sea or els to haue fallē on the edge of Pharao his sword These iudges which wrought most wonderful thynges in the deliuery of the people were euer geuen when the people was brought to most miserye before as Othoniel Aioth Sangar Gedeon ●ephthe Samson And so was Saul indued with strength and boldnes from aboue against the Ammonites Philistines Amalechites for the defence of the people of God Dauid likewyse felt gods helpe most sensibly euer in his extreme persecutions What shall I speake of the prophetes of god whom god suffered so oft to be brought into extreme perils and so mightely deliuered theim againe As Helias Hieremy Daniel Micheas and Ionas and manye other whom it were but to longe to rehearse and set out at large And did the lorde vse his seruantes otherwise in the newe law after christes incarnation Read the actes of the apostles and you shal see no. Were not thapostels cast into prison and brought out by the mighty hande of god Did not the aungell deliuer Peter out of the stronge prison brynge hym oute by the yron gates of the citie and set him free And whē I praye you euen the same night before Herod apointed to haue brought him in iudgement for to haue slayne hym as he had a lyttle before kylled Iames the brother of Iohn Paule and Silas when after they had bene sore scourged and were put into the inner prison and there were layd fast in the stockes I praye you what apparāce was ther that the magestrats should be glad to come the next daye themselues to thē to desyer theym to be contente and to departe in peace who prouyded for Paule that he should be safely conducted oute of all danger and brought to Felix the Emperours deputy whē as both the high priests the Pharisyes and rulers of the Iewes had conspired to requier iudgemente of death against him he being fast in prison and also more thē fourty men hadde sworne eche one to other that they would neuer eate nor drinke vntill they had slaine Paule A thynge wōderful that no reason could haue inuented or man could haue looked for god prouided Paule his owne sisters sonne a younge man that disaponited that conspiracy and all their former coniuratiō The maner how the thiuge cam to passe thou maiest reade in the .23 of the actes I will not be tedyous vnto thee here wyth the rehersall therof Nowe to descende from the apostles to the martyrs that folowed next in christes church in them likewise to declare howe gracious our good god euer hath bene to work wonderfully w e them which in his cause haue ben in extreme perilles it were a matter enough to write a longe boke I wil here name but one man and one woman that is Athanasius the great clerke godly man stoutly standing in christes cause against the Arrians that holy woman Blandina standing so constantly in all extreme paynes in the simple cōfession of christ If thou wilt haue examples of mo loke and thou shalt haue both these a hundred mo in Ecclesiastica historia of Eusebius in Tripartita historia But for all these examples both of holy scripture and of other histories I feare mee the weake man of God incombred with the frailty and infirmity of the fleshe wil haue now and then suche thoughtes and guawmes as they cal thē to run ouer his hart and to thynke thus all theis thinges which are rehersed oute of the scrypture I beleue to be true of the rest truly I do thinke wel and can beleue them also to be true but all these we must nedes graūt were special miracles of god whych now in our dayes are ceased we se to require them at gods handes were it not to tēpt god Welbeloued brother I graūt such were great wonderful works of god and we haue not sene many of suche miracles in our time eyther for that our sight is not cleare for truly God worketh with his his part in all times orels bicause we haue not the like faith of thē for whose cause God wrought such thinges or bicause after that he had set forth the truth of his doctrine by suche miracles then sufficientlye the tyme of so manye myracles to be done was expired withall Which of theis is the moste speciall cause of all others or whether there be anye othere God knoweth I leaue that to God But knowe thou this my wel-beloued in God that Gods hande is as strong as euer it was he maye do what his gracyous plesure is and he is as good and gracious as euer he was Man chaūgeth as the garment doth but god our heauenly father is euen the same now that he was and shal be for euermore The world without doubt this I do beleue therfore I saye draweth towardes an end and in al ages god hath had his owne maner after hys secrete and vnsearchable wisdome to vse his elect somtimes to deliuer thē and to kepe them safe and somtimes to suffer theym to drinke of Christes cup that is to fele the smarte and to fele of the whyp And though the fleshe smarteth at the one and feeleth ease in the other is glad of the one and sore vexed