Careles through Christ the Beloved Say therefore with David Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name for he hath forgiven thee all thy sins as truely he hath And hereof I desire to be a Witness God make me worthy to hear from you the like true Message for my self Mine own dearly Beloved you have great cause to thank God most heartily that hath given you such Repentance and Faith The Lord increase the same in you and me a most miserable wretch whose heart is harder then the Adamant stone or else I could not thus long have stayed from writing unto you If I live and may I purpose and promise you to make amends Pray for me my most dear Brother I heartily beseech you and forgive me my long silence God our Father be with us for ever Amen Yours in the Lord John Bradford John Careles his Letter to Mr. Bradford THe Peace of God in Jesus Christ A sweet Letter of John Careles to Mr. Bradford a little before his Martyrdome the Eternal Comfort of his sweet Spirit which hath surely sealed you unto Eternal Salvation be with you and strengthen you in your joyful journey towards the Celestial Jerusalem my dear Friend and most faithful Brother Mr. Bradford to the setting forth of Gods glory and to your eternal joy in Christ Amen Ever since that good Mr. Philpot shewed me your last Letter my dear heart in the Lord I have continued in great heaviness and perplexity He mourneth for the loss and lâ—ck of Mr. Bradforâ— in the Church not for any hurt or discommodity that I can perceive coming towards you unto whom doubtless Death is made life and great felicity but for the great loss that Gods Church here in England shall sustain by the taking away of so godly worthy and necessary an instrument as the Lord hath made you to be Oh that my life and a thousand such wretched lives moe might go for yours Oh why doth God suffer me and such other Catterpillers to live that can do nothing but consume the Alms of the Church and take away you so worthy a Workman and Labourer in the Lords Vineyard But woe be to our sins and great unthanfulness which is the greatest cause of the taking away of such worthy instruments of God as should set forth his Glory and instruct his People If we had been thankful unto God for the good Ministers of his Word we had not been so soon deprived both of it and them The Lord forgive our great ingratitude and sins and give us true Repentance and Faith and hold his hand of Mercy over us for his dear Son Christs sake Take not away all thy tâ—ue Preachers forth of this Realm O Lord but leave us a Seed lest Englâ—nd be made like unto Sodom and Gomorrah when thy true Loâ—â— be gone But what go I about to mingle your mirth with my mourning and your just joy with my deserved sorrow If I loved you indeed as I have pretended I should surely rejoyce with you most heartily and praise God on your bâ—half from the very bottom of my heart He rejoyceth for the honour of Mr. Bradfords Martyrdome I should praise God day and night for your excellent Election in and through his great Mercy and should give him most humble thanks for your Vocation by his Gospel and your true Knowledge in the same I should earnestly praise him for your sweet justification whereof you are most certain by Gods Gâ—ace and Spirit and should instantly pray unto him for your Glorification which shall shortly ensue I should rejoyce and be glad to see you dignified by the Crown of Martyrdome and to be appointed to that honour to testifie his Truth and to Seal it with your Blood I should highly extoll the Lord who hath given you a glorious vâ—ctory over all your enemies visible and inv si le and hath given you Grace and Strength to finish the Tower that you have begun to build Finally if I loved you I should most heartily rejoice and be glad to see you delivered from this body of sin and vile person of the Flesh and brought into that heavenly Tabernacle where you shall be safely kept and never offend him more This and much more should I do if I had a good heart towards God or you his dear childe But alas I am an hypocrite and do seek nothing but mine own commodity I would have Gods everlasting Providence give place to my peevish will and purpose although it were to the hindrance of his glory and your sweet commodity God forgive me my horrible ingratitude sins and offences against him and good Brother do you forgive me my great negligence and unthankfulness towards you and henceforth I promise you I will put my will to Gods will and pray that the same may be fulfilled in you so long as you be on this earth and when you are taken hence I will most heartily praise the Lord for you so long as I have my being in this world Ah my dear heart now I must take my leave of you and as I think John Careles taketh his leave of M. Bradford my Vltimum Vale in this life but in the life to come I am right well assured we shall merrily meet together and that shortly I trust And in taking of my leave of you my dear heart in the Lord I shall desire you faithfully to remember all the sweet messages that the Lord our good God and most dear loving Father hath sent you by me his most unworthy Servant which as they are most true so shall they be most truly accomplished upon you eternally and for the more assurance and certificate thereof to your godly Conscience he hath commanded me to repeat the same unto you again in his own Name and Word Therefore now give ear and faithful credence Hearken Testimony of Gods Spirit O ye Heavens and thou earth give ear and bear me witness at the great Day that I do here faithfully and truely the Lords mâ—ssâ—ge unto his dear Servant John Careles doth Gods message to M. Bradford his singularly beloved and elâ—ct Childe â—â—â—n Bradford John Bradford thou man so specially beloved of God I pronounce and testifie unto thee in the Word and Name of the Lord Jehovah that all thy sins whatsoever they be be they never so many so grievous or so great be fully and freely pâ—â—doned released and forgiven thee by the mercy of God in Jesus Christ thine onely Lord and sweet Saviour in whom thou dost undoubtedly believe Power and practise of the keyes of the Gospel Christ hath cleansed thee with his Blood and clothed thee with his Righteousness and hath made â—hee in the sight of God his Father without spot or wrinckle so that when the fiâ—e doth his appointed office thou shalt be received as a sweet burnt Sacrifice into Heaven where thou shalt joyfully remain in Gods presence for
with all earnest and faithfull remembrance of you in my daily Prayers thanking God right heartily that you do likewise remember me in yours assuring you that my poor heart doth daily feel great Consolation thereby God onely have the praise for the same and all other his Benefits Ah my dear heart in the Lord well is me that ever I was born that God of his great mercy and infinite goodness hath used me most miserable wretch at any time as his instrument to minister any thing unto you either by word or writing that might be an occasion of your joy and comfort in the Lord and a provoking of you to praise and thanksgiv ng unto God for the same as your most loving and godly Letter seemeth to import Oh happy am I that the Lord hath appointed me unto so good a ground to sow his seed upon but much more happy are you whose heart the Lord hath prepared and made so meet to receive the same so effectuously gâ—ving thereto the sweet showers and heavenly dews of his grace and holy Spirit that it may bring forth fruit in due season accordingly the increase whereof we shall shortly reap together with perfect joy and gladness and that continually Therefore my dear Brother I say unto you as good Elizabeth did to her Cousin Mary Happy are you Luke 1. and happy shall you be for evermore because you have believed The most sweet and faithful Promises of your Redeemer Jesus Christ you have surely laid up in the treasury of your heart his comfortable Callings you have faithfully heard his loving Admonitions you have humbly obeyed and therefore you shall never come into judgement Remission of sins your sins shâ—ll never be remembred for your Saviour hath cast them all into he bottom of the Sea Micah 7. he hath removed them from you as far as the East is from the West Psal 103. and hath given you for an everlasting possâ—ssion his Justification and Holiness So that now no Creature neither in heaven nor in earth shall be able to accuse you before the Throne of the heavenly King Satan is now judged he is now cast out from you he hath no part in you you are wholly given unto Christ which will not lose you your stedfast Faith in him hath overcome that sturdy and bragging Prince of the World Christ hath given you the final victory over him and all his Army that they shall never hurt you What would you have more Oh my dear heart how great treasures are laid up in store for you and how glorious a Crown is already made and prepared for you And albeit the holy Ghost doth bear witness of all these things in your heart Testimony of Gods Spirit and maketh you more sure and certain thereof then if you had all the outward Oracles in the world yet I being certainly perswaded and fully assured by the testimony of Gods Spirit in my Conscience of your eternal and sure Salvation in our sweet Saviour Jesus Christ have thought it good yea and my bounden duty not onely at this time to write unto you and to shew my joyful heart in that behalf but also by the Word and Commandment of Christ to pronounce and affirm in the Name and Word of the heavenly King Jehovah and in the behalf of his sweet Son Iesus Christ our Lord to whom all knees shâ—ll bow whom all creatures shall worship and also by the impulsion of the holy Ghost by whose power and strength all the faithful be regenerate I do I say p onounce to thee my dear B o her T. V. that thou art already a Cit zen of Heaven The Lord thy God in whom thou dost put all thy trust for his dear Sons sake in whom thou dost also undoubtedly believe â—a h freely forgiven thee all thy sins clearly released all thine in quâ—ties and fully pardoned all thine offences be they never so many so grievous or so great and will never remember them any more to Condemnation As truly as he liveth he will not have thee dye the death but hath verily determined purposed and eternally decreed that thou shalt live with him for ever Thy Sore shall be healed and thy Wounds bound up even of himself for his own Names sake He doth not nor will not look upon thy sins in thee but he respecteth and beholdeth thee in Christ in whom thou art lively graffed by Faith in his blood and in whom thou art most assuredly elected and chosen to be a sweet vessel of his Mercy and Salvation and wast thereto predestinate in him before the foundation of the world was laid In testimony and earnest whereof he hath given thee his good and holy Spirit which worketh in thee Faith Love and unfeigned Repentance with other godly Vertues contrary to the Corruption of thy Nature Also he hath commanded me this day although a most unworthy wretch to be a witness hereof by the Ministry of his holy Word Experience of Christ working in his Church grounded upon the truth of his most faithful Promises the which thou believing shalt live for ever Believest thou this my dear heart I know well thou dost believe The Lord increase thy Faith and give thee a lively feeling of all his mercies whereof thou art warranted and assured by the testimony of the holy Ghost who confirm in thy Conscience to the utter overthrowing of Satan and those his most hurtful dubitations whereby he is accustomed to molest and vex the true Children of God all that I have said and by Gods grace I will as a witness thereof confirm and seal the same with my blood for a most certain truth Wherefore my good Brother praise the Lord with a joyful heart and give him thanks for this his exceeding great mercy casting away all dubitation and wavering yea all sorrow of heart and pensiveness of mind for this the Lord your God and most dear and loving Father commandeth you to do by me nay rather by his own Mouth and Word pronounced by me But now my dear Brother after that I have done my message or rather the Lords message indeed I could finde in my heart to write two or three sheets of paper declaring the joy I bear in my heart for you mine own bowels in the Lord yet the time being so short as you do well know I am here constrained to make an end desiring you to pardon my slackness and to forgive my great negligence towards you promising you still that so long as my poor life doth last my prayer shall supply that my pen doth want as knoweth the Almighty God to whose most merciful defence I do heartily commit you and all other his dear children as well as though I had rehearsed them by Name desiring them most heartily to remember me in their hearty and daily Prayers as I know right well they do for I feel the daily comfort and commodity thereof and therefore I neither will nor can
strait present care Commend me to all our Brethren and desire them to pray for me that I may overcome my temptations for the Dâ—vil rageth against me I am put in the Stocks in a place alone because I would not answer to such Articles as they would charge me withall in a corner at the Bishops appointment and because I did not come to Mass when the Bishop sent for me I w ll lye all the dayes of my life in the Stocks by Gods grace rather then I will consent to the wicked generation Praise God and be joyfull that it hath pleased him to make us worthy to suffer somewhat for his Names sake The Devil must rage for ten dayes Commend me to Mr. F. and thank him for his Law-books but Law neither Equity will take any place among these blood thirsty I would for your sake their unjust dealing were noted unto the Parliament-housâ— if it might avail God shorten these evil dayes I have answered the Bishop meetly plain already and I said to him If he will call me in open Judgemen I will answer him as plainly as he will require otherwise I have refused because I fear me they will condemn me in hugger-mugger The peace of God be with you my dear Brother I can write no more for lack of light and that I have written I cannot reade my self and God knoweth s is written farre uneasily I pray God you may pick out some understanding of my minde towards you Written in a Colehouse of daâ—kness out of a Pair of painfull Stocks by Thine own in Christ John Philpot. A Letter of John Careles answering to the loving Epistle or Letter sent to him before by Mr. Philpot. A faithfull friend is a strong defence whoso findeth such an one findeth a treasure A faithfull friend hath no peer the weight of gold and silver is not to be compared to the goodness of his Faith A faithfull friend is a Medicine of life and they that fear the Lord shall finde him Ecclesiast 6. A lettâ—r of John Careles to Mr. Philpot. THe Father of Mercy and God of all Consolation comfort you with his Eternal Spirit my most dear and faithful loving Friend good Mr. Philpot as you have comforted me by the mighty operation of the same The everlasting God be praised therefore for ever Amen Ah my dear heart and most loving Brother if I should do nothing else day and night so long as the dayes of Heaven do endure but kneel on my knees and reade Psalms I can never be able to render unto God condign thanks for his mercy fatherly kindness and most lovâ—ng compassion extended unto me most vile sinful wicked and unworthy wretch Oh that the Lord would open my mouth and give me a thankful heart that from the bottom of the same might flow his continual praise Oh that my sinful flesh which is the cause of my sorrow were clean separated from me that I might sing Psalms of Thanksgiving unto the Lords Name for ever that with good Samuels Mother I might continually record this noble Verse following the which by good experience I have found most true praised be my good God therefore 1. Sam. 2. John Careles raised up by the Lord out of great heaviness The Lord saith that good woman killeth and maketh alive he bringeth down to hell and fetcheth up again Praised be that Lord for ever yea and praised be his Name for that he hath given me true experience and lively feeling of the same Blessed be the Lord God whose mercy endureth for ever which hath not dealt with me according to my deep deserts nor destroyed me in his displeasure when I had justly deserved it Oh what reward shall I give again unto the Lord for all the great benefits that he hath done for my Soul I will gladly receive the Cup of Salvation at his hand and will worship his Name with Prayer and with Praise Ah my dear heart yea most dear unto me in the Lord think not this sudden change in me to be some fickle Phantasie of my foolish head as indeed some other would surely suspect it to be for doubtless it is the marvellous doing of the Lord most merciful unto me his unworthy Creature God for his great mercies sake give me grace to be more thankful unto him then I heretofore have been and keep me that I never fall forth of his favour again And now my dear Brother and most blessed Mâ—ssenger of the Lord whose beautiful feet have brought much glad tidings unto my Soul what shall I do or say unto you in the least part to recompence the fatherly affection and godly care that you continually keep for me Oh that God would give me the Spirit of fervent Prayer that I might yet that way supply some little part of my duty toward you Ah my true loving Friend how soon did you lay aside all other business to make a sweet Plaister for my wounded Conscience yea and that out of a painful Pair of Stocks which place must needs be uneasie to write in But God hath brought you into a strait place that you might set my Soul at liberty Out of your pinching and painful Seat you have plentifully poured upon me your precious Nard the sweet savour whereof hath greatly refreshed my tyred Soul The Lord likewise refresh you both Body and Soul by pouring the oyle of his gracious Spirit into your sweet heart Ah good Jeremy hath Pashur put thee in the Stocks why Jer. 20. now thou hast the right reward of a Prophet Thy glory never began to appear till now I doubt not but shortly Jer. 26. in stead of Ahikam the the Son of Shaphan Jesus the Son of the living God will come and deliver thee forth of the hands of all thine Enemies and will also make good against them and their Antichristian Synagogue all the words that thou hast spoken in his Name The Lord hath made thee this day a strong defenced Tower an iron Pillar Jer. 1. and a brazen Wall against the whole Rabble of Antichrist and though they fight against thee never so fiercely yet shall they not overcome thee for the Lord himself is with thee to help and deliver thee Jer. 15. and he will rid thee out of the hands of the wicked and will deliver thee out of the hands of the Tyrants And in that you are not busie in casting Pearls before Swine Matth. 7. nor in giving the holy things unto Dogs you are much to be commended in my simple judgement The circumspect behaviour of Mr. Philpot. And sure I am that your circumspect and modest behaviour hitherto hath been as much to Gods glory and to the shame and confusion of your enemies as any man's doings that are gone before you John Careles his advice to him Wherefore mine advice and most earnest desire is with all other of your loving Friends that you still keep that order with those
own strength or rather your own weakness you would have stood too much in your own Conceit or perchance have gloried in your self and have despised and condemned other weak persons that have committed the like offence Therefore now you may see what the best of us all can do if God leave us to our selves Which thing ought to move you to be diligent to call earnestly upon God for his grace and the strength of his Holy Spirit without the which we are not able to stand one hour and to be most thankful for the same when you have it and then to be more circumspect in time to come Therefore dear Sister seeing that you have done otherwise then the word of God and your own Conscience would allow yet dear heart do you not think that God therefore will cast you clean away but know that he hath mercy enough in store for all them that truly repent and believe in him although the sins of them were as many in number as the sands in the Sea and as great as the sins of the whole world It is a greater sin to mistrust the mercy promises of God then to commit the greatest offence in the World Therefore good Sister beware in any wise To trust to Gods Promises that you do not once mistrust the promises of Gods mercy towards you but know for a very surety that all your sins be utterly forgiven you for Christs sake be they never so many so griâ—vous or so great But now dear heart take â—eed and beware that you do not cloke that sin and increase the same daily in communicating with the wicked in their Idolatry and devilish doings at their den of Thieves Custome of sin a perilous matter Do not I say dear Sister come at any of their Antichristian service lest by little and little you utterly lose a good Conscience and at length esteem it for none offence as alas a great number doth at this day to the great peril of their Souls The Lord be merciful unto them and give them grace to repent in time and turn to the Lord and then they shall be sure to finde mercy at the Lords hand as doubtless you have done praised be his Name therefore Ah my dear Sister you may now see the words of Christ verified upon your self that a mans greatest foes shall be they of his own houshold A. G. entisâ—d by her husband to go to the Mass for your Husband hath gotten you to do that which all the tyrants in the World could never have made you to do Doubtless he may be sorry for it God give him grace to repent or else without doubt it will be laid to his charge one day when he would not by his will hear it for all the goods of the World Well I think my Brother Tyms will write him a letter shortly that shall touch his Conscience if he have any Conscience at all But now again to you dear Sister The thing that is done cannot be undone and you are not the first that have offended neither are you so good and so holy as hath at a time slipt forth of the way Therefore I would not have you to be so much discomforted as I hear say you be The raising up of a troubled Conscience after his fall as though God were not as able to forgive you your offence as he was to forgive his dear Saints that offended him in times past or as though God were not as merciful now as ever he was whereas in very deed there is with the Lord as the Prophet saith mercy and plentiful redemption and his mercy farre surmounteth all his works God turneth all things to the best to them that be hiâ— and he never faileth any that put their whole trust and confidence in him how great an offender or how wicked a trespasser soever he be No he maketh their falls and backslidings many times to turn to their profit and commodity and to the setting forth of his glory as doubtless dear Sister yours shall do if you put your whole Faith hope and trust onely in his infinite and eternal sweet mercies Oh what a subtile crafty lying Serpent is that Satan our old Enemy Satan when he cannot bring a man to his servâ—â—o he presseth him wâ—th distrust of Gods mercy that when he seeth that he cannot make us to continue in our wickedness to do him service would then bring us into a doubting and mistrusting of the mercy of God which is the greatest offence that can be yea infidelity is the root and original of all other sins Therefore my sweet Sister give no place to that cruel adversary of mankinde who hath been a lyer and a mutherer from the beginning but stedfastly believe the Lord who hath sent you word by me his most unworthy Servant that all your sins be pardoned forgiven and clean released for Jesus Christs sake our onely Lord and Saviour To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour glory praise thanks power rule and dominion for ever and for ever Amen Farewel my dear Sister and be of good chear Believe in the Lord and you shall live for ever The Lord increase your Faith Amen Amen Your poor Brother and daily faithful Orator John Careles Prisoner of the Lord. Pray for me Another Letter of John Careles to A. B. a faithfull Minister of the Lord containing certain fruitfull Precepts of Matrimony I Beseech the same everlasting Lord my dear and faithful Brother that blessed young Tobias with his Wife Sarah and brought them together in due time with reverence and fear preserve and bless you both and your seed after you that they may increase the number of the faithful by thousands and thousands And as the Lord of his great mercy and fatherly Providence hath been alwayes careful for you and now hath for your comfort accomplished his good work in coupling you with a faithful Mate so see that you be thankful for his Providence towards you that it may every way in you be an increase of love and godliness yea of Christian joy and gladness in these sorrowful dayes but yet so that you mourn with the true mourners of Sion and be sorry yet in measure for the hurt of the same Pray also in faith for her prosperity that the Lord may build up the walls of Jerusalem again Psal 146. Oh that the Lord would turn Sions Captivity as the river into the South then should our hearts be made glad and our mouthes filled with laughter Then would the Heathen Hypocrites say The Lord hath done much for them Oh the Lord hath done great things for us already whereof let us heartily rejoyce and praise his Name therefore For though we now sow with tears yet shall we be sure to reap with gladness and as we now go forth weeping bearing forth good seed so shall we come again with joy The death of the Martyrs is
that is God with us Iâ— God be with us who can be against us Rom. 8. The Lord is with you your Father cannot forget you your Spouse loveth you If the waves and surges arise cry with Peter Lord I perish Matth. 8. and he will put out his hand and help you Cast out your Anchor of Hope and it will not cease for all the stormy surges till it take hold on the Rock of Gods Truth and Mercy Think not that he which hath given you so many things corporally as inductions of spiritual and heavenly Mercies Philip. 1. Desire of spiritual comfort though it be lacking is a great gift of God and that without your deserts or desire can deny you any spiritual comfort desiring it For if he give to desire he will give you to have and enjoy the thing desired To desire to have and the going about to ask ought to certifie your Conscience that they be his earnest of the thing which you asking he will give you yea before you ask and whilest you are about to ask he will grant the same as Esay saith to his glory and your eternal consolation He that spared not his own Son for you will not nor cannot think any thing too good for you my heartily beloved If he had not chosen you as most certainly he hath he would not have so called you he would never have justified you Rom. 8. he would never have so glorified you with his gracious gifts which I know praised be his Name therefore he would never have so exercised your Faith with temptations as he hath done and doth if I say he had not chosen you Exercise of tentations a great token of election I have chosen you as doubtless dear heart he hath done in Christ for in you I have seen his earnest and before me and to me you could not deny it I know both where and when if I say he hath chosen you then neither can you nor ever shall you perish For if you fall he putteth under his hand you shall not lie still so careful is Christ your keeper over you Never was Mother so mindful over her childe as he is over you And hath not he alwayes been so Speak woman when did he finally forget you And will he now trow you in your most need do otherwise you calling upon him and desiring to please him Ah my Joyce think you God to be mutable Rom. 11. Is he a changeling Doth not he love to the end them whom he loveth Are not his gifts and calling such that he cannot repent him of them for else were he no God If you should perish then wanted he power for I am certain his will towards you is not to be doubted of Hath not the Spirit which is the Spirit of truth Every lying spirit not to be hearkned unto Satan seeketh to bring tender consciences to doubting but Gods promise in Christ standeth sure for ever told you so And will you now hearken with Eve to the lying spirit which would have you not to despair no he goeth more craftily to work howbeit to that end if you should give ear unto it which God forbid but to doubt and stand in a mammering and so should you never truly love God but serve him of a servile fear lest he should cast you off for your unworthiness and unthankfulness as though your thankfulness or worthiness were any causes with God why he hath chosen you or will finally keep you Ah mine own dear heart Christ onely Christ onely and his mercy and truth All our election is in and for Christ only In him is the cause of your election This Christ this Mercy this Truth of God remaineth for ever is certain for ever and so is your Election certain for ever for ever for ever I say for ever If an Angel of heaven should tell you contrary accursed be he accursed be he Your thankfulness and worthiness are fruits and effects of your election they are no causes These fruits and effects shall be so much more fruitful and effectual by how much you waver not Therefore my dearly beloved arise and remember from whence you are fallen Psâ—l 120. You have a Shepherd which neither slumbereth nor sleepeth No man nor devil can pull you out of his hands Night and day he commandeth his Angels to keep you Have you forgotten what I read to you out of the Psalm The Lord is my Shepherd Psal 25. I can want nothing Do you not know that God sparred Noah in the Ark on the outside so that he could not get out So hath he done to you my good Sister so hath he done to you Ten thousand shall fall on your right hand Psal 90. and twenty thousand on your left hand yet no evil shall touch you Say boldly therefore Psal 125. Many a time from my youth up they have fought against me but they have not prevailed no nor never shall prevail for the Lord is round about his people And who are the people of God but such as hope in him Happy are they that hope in the Lord and you are one of those my dear heart for I am assured you have hoped in the Lord I have your words to shew most manifestly and I know they were written unfeignedly I need not to say that even before God you have simply confessed to me and that oftentimes no less And once if you had this hope Though feeling fail yet let hope hold fast as you doubtless had it though now you feel it not yet shall you feel it again for the anger of the Lord lasteth but a moment but his mercy lasteth for ever Tell me my dear heart who hath so weakned you Surely not a perswasion which came from him that called you For why should you waver Why should you waver The eye of faith must look upon nothing else but onely Christ crucified and be so heavy hearted Whom look you on On your self on your worthiness on your thankfulness on that which God requireth of you as faith hope love fear joy c. Then can you not but waver indeed for what have you as God requireth Believe you hope you love you c. as much as you should do No no nor never can in this life Ah my dearly beloved have you so soon forgotten that which ever should be had in memory namely that when you would and should be certain and quiet in Conscience then should your Faith burst throughout all things not onely that you have in you or else are in heaven earth or hell untill it come to Christ crucified and the eternal sweet mercies and goodness of God in Christ Here here is the resting place here is your Spouses bed creep into it and in your arms of Faith embrace him bewail your weakness your unworthiness your diffidence c. and you shall see he will turn to you What said I You shall
God that the good hour were now come that I might go with you ah that my sins made me not unworthy of such an excellent dignity Be thankful dear hearts be thankful and rejoyce in the Lord for mighty is his mercy towards you and great is your reward in Heaven the which you like faithful persons have plucked to you with a godly violence of an invincible Faith Oh worthy warriers of the most high captain Oh constant Confessors of the everlasting verity how glorious a Crown of victory shall you shortly receive which is prepared for all such as do continue to the end Oh you sweet Saints of the Lord how precious shall your death be in his sight Oh how dear are your Souls to your Redeemer in whose hands they shall most joyfully rest and the pains of death shall never touch you Oh how blessed shall you be when Christ shall appear at the which time you shall receive your bodies again full of Immortality Oh how joyful shall you be when Christ according to his promise shall knowledge you before his Father and his holy Angels as you have most constantly confessed him to be your Lord and onely Saviour before men Oh blessed Green thou meek and loving Lamb of the Lord how happy art thou to be appointed to dye for his sake A full dainty dish art thou for the Lords own tooth Fresh and Green shalt thou be in the house of the Lord and thy fruits shall never wither nor decay Although thou go here forth sowing thy good fruits with Tears the time shall come that thou shalt reap with joy and gladness the fruits of everlasting life and that without ceasing Be merry therefore and fear not Luk. 12. for it is thy Fathers will to give thee a Kingdome whereunto he hath chosen thee before the foundations of the World were laid Oh happy Minister thou man of God how glad mayest thou be of Gods gracious favour which hath prevented thee in the day of thy tryal Oh happy Peter whose part thou hast well played therefore thy reward and portion shall be like unto his Now hast thou good experience of mans infirmity but much more proof and taste yea sense and feeling of Gods abundant bottomless mercy Although Satan desired to sift thee yet Christ thy good Captain prayed that thy Faith should not fail Luk. â—â— Gods strength is made perfect by thy weakness and his grace is sufficient for thee his dear Childe Thine Example did so incourage and strengthen thy poor Brethren that God is every way glorified by thee and shortly will he glorifie thee with himself with that glory which he hath prepared for thee his Elect darling before the World was made Therefore rejoyce and be glad for thou hast good occasion in finding such favour in his fight This is most true oh my other Brethren whom I do not know neither have I heard much of you happy are you that ever you were born and blessed be our God which hath given you such Victory over the bloody Beast Shortly shall you be clothed in large white garments Apoc. 19. and fine rayness of Righteousness and so shall you follow the Lamb on Mount Sion with new Songs of Mirth and Melody for your delivery forth of Satans Power and tyranny God for evermore be blessed for you and strengthen you to the end as I doubt not but he will for he never failed them that put their trust in him Oh my dear and faithful sister Joane Warner what shall I say to thee Thy tryal hath been great thy Victory in Christ hath been notable thou hast overcome many a sharp shower and storm shortly shalt thou arrive at the Haven of quiet rest and receive a reward due to a constant Martyr Thou shalt go home to thy Heavenly Father and possess for ever the inheritance which Christ hath purchased for thee where thy earthly Parents be still looking for thee which have triumphed over Antichrist most victoriously Oh blessed Parents of happy Children which have shewed such an example as the like hath been seldome seen I salute thee dear Sister of like constant minde whose constant example is worthy of continual memory Praised be God for you mine own sweet sisters Mat. 25. which hath made you to play such wise Virgins parts He hath plentifully poured the oyle of his Spirit into the Lamps of your Faith so that the light hereof shall never be extinct You shall enter with your Bridegroom into everlasting joy whereunto you were chosen in him from the beginning Oh my dear Brethren and sisters you blessed Saints of the Lord how much and how deeply am I bound to praise God for you both day and night Pray pray for me my dear hearts for the tender mercy of God that I may be made worthy to follow your trace Oh that I had run the race of my life as far as you have done yours John 5. and were as nigh my journeys end as you be unto yours But alas I lye like the lame man at the Pooles side by Solomons Porch and every man goeth into the place of health before me But God will appoint me one one day to put me in I trust my Lord of London's Colehouse is empty and all his Officers idle therefore they must shortly fetch more sheep to the shambles for he is the common slaughter-slave of all England B. Bonner called the slaughter slave of England But happy are you that are passed through the Pikes and delivered out of his hands and from all the Angels of the Darkness of this World which long tempted you in the Wilderness of the same but now shall the Angels of God come and minister unto you for they are your Servants to hold you up in their hands that you shall not hurt your foot no nor one hair of your head shall perish They shall carry you up to heaven in a fiery Chariot Psal 60. 2 King 2. though you leave your Mantle behinde you for a time till God restore the same to you again in a more ample and glorious sort Thus in haste as it doth appear I am constrained to make an end committing you all to Gods most merciful defence who ever have you in his blessed keeping desiring you all to remember me in your godly and faithful Prayers as I will not forget you in mine by Gods grace The blessing of God be with you all my dear Brethren and sisters All our Brethren and fellow-prisoners here have them most heartily commended unto you and pray for you without ceasing God send us a merry meeting in his Kingdome Amen By your Brother and unfeigned lover John Careles Prisoner abiding his most merciful will and pleasure Pray pray pray To my faithful and loving Brother W. Tyms Prisoner in Newgate THe Everlasting peace of God in Iesus Christ with the continuall joy comfort and strength of his sweet Spirit be multiplied and daily more and more increased in
your good heart my most faithful and dear Brother Tyms to the full quieting of your Conscience and beating back of all the fiery darts of the wicked that you may shortly receive the glorious Crown of Victory and in the same triumph over all your Enemies for evermore Amen I cannot express the exceeding great joy and consolation of my poor heart considering the marvellous works of God most graciously wrought upon you not onely in proving you and trying your Faith by his great and huge Crosses both inwardly and outwardly but also in giving you so great Consolation and Constancy in the midst of the same Faithful is God and true of his Promises Gods Children never tempted above their strength who hath said That he will never suffer his chosen children to be tempted above their strength but in the midst of their temptation will make an out-scape for them by such means as may make to his glory and their everlasting consolation My dear heart great cause have you to be of good comfort for I see in you as lively a token of Gods everlasting love and favour in Jesus Christ as ever I perceived in any man in respect whereof I do even with my heart love honour and reverence you beseeching God for his glorious Name sake in the Bowels and Blood of our Lord and onely Saviour Jesus Christ He confirmeth W. Tims being condemned to the day of his Martyrdome to finish his good work in you as I doubt not but he will do according to his infallible Promises yea I am well assured thereof forasmuâ—h as you have so effectually received his holy Spirit into your heart as a pledg and sure Seal of your eternal Redemption and a Testimony of your Adoption in Christ Jesus For which cause Satan so sore envieth you that he hath now bent all his fierce Ordnance against you thinking thereby utterly to destroy the invincible Fort of your Faith founded most firmly upon the unmoveable Rock CHRIST against the which the Devil Sin nor yet Hell gates shall never prevail Selah Therefore mine own Bowels in the Lord be not discomforted for this your Conflict which doubtless shall greatly increase your Crown of Glory Triumph and Victory but take a good heart unto you and buckle boldly with Satan both in himself and in his subtile Members It is the nature of Gods Children to be tempted It is the very divine Ordinance of God that all his regenerate Children shall be tempted proved and tryed as we see by the Example of our Saviour Christ who as soon as he was Baptized was straightwayes led of the Holy Ghost into the Wilderness there to be tempted of the Devil But there got he such a glorious victory over Satan that he could never since finally prevail against any of his poor Members but in every assault that he maketh either inwardly or outwardly he getteth a foyle and taketh shame so that now he rageth with all the spight possible specially because he knoweth his time is but short James 4. St. James testifieth that he is but a very Coward that will soon flie if he be faithfully resisted And as for his tempting Tools the Lord hath made them manifest unto us so that he cannot deceive us though he assault us Satans tempting tools 2 Cor. 2. for as St. Paul saith his very thoughts are not unknown unto us as it doth in you largely appear praised be the Lords Name therefore You see dear Brother that now to molest you and such as you are that be even passing from this Vale of Misery he hath but two wayes or two pieces of Ordnance to shoot at you Two principal pellets of Satan whereby he assâ—ulteth Gods Servants 1. Fear of sin and death and Infidelity of Gods promises Remedy against Fear and Infidelity with the which he cannot hurt you because you have two bulwarks to defend you The first of these terrible Guns that Satan hath shot at you is the very same that he continually shooteth at me that is to say Fear and Infidelity for the uglysomness of death and horrour of my sins which be so many grievous and great but this Pellet is easily put away with the surer shield of Faith in the most precious death and bloodshedding of our dear Lord and onely Saviour Jesus Christ whom the Father hath given unto us wholy to be ours for evermore and with him hath given us all things as Paul saith So that though we be never so great sinners yet Christ is made unto us Holyness Righteousness and justification He hath clothed us with all his Merits Mercies and most sweet sufferings and hath taken unto him all our misery wretchedness sin and infirmity So that if any should now be condemned for the same it must needs be Iesus Christ which hath taken them upon him But indeed he hath made satisfaction for them to the uttermost jot so that for his sake they shall never be imputed to us if they were a Thousand times so many moe as they be This do you most effectually feel and know dear Brother a great deal better then I can tell you blessed be God therefore And now Satan seeing he cannot prevail with his boisterous Battery against this Bulwark of Faith which doth so quench all his fiery darts that they can do you no harm but rather do you good service to cast you down under the mighty hand of God The second pellet of Satan is confidence and trust in our own good works that he may take you up by his onely grace and power and so you may render him all the glory by Iesus Christ which thing the Enemy cannot abide in no wise therefore he shooteth off his other Piece most pestilent to provoke you to put some part of your trust and confidence in your self and in your own holiness and righteousness that you might that way rob God of his glory Christ of his honour and dignity of his death Remedy against the second Pellet But blessed be the Lord God you have also a full strong Bulwark to beat back this pestiferous Pellet also even the pure Law of God which proveth the best of us all damnable sinners in the sight of God if he would enter into judgement with us according to the severity of the same and that even our best works are polluted and defiled in such sort Isay 64. as the Prophet describeth them With which manner of speaking our free-will Pharisees are much offended for it felleth all mans Righteousness to the ground I had like to have said to the bottom of Hell and extolleth onely the Righteousness of Jesus Christ which is allowed before God and is freely given to all those that firmly believe as blessed be God you do Ah my good brother Tyms Satan hath put his hand in a wrong box when he beginneth to tempt you either to Vain-glory or mistrust for you are an old beaten souldier and have had