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
fulfilled So I say to you my dear hearts in the Lord happy are ye all yea thrice happy shall ye be for evermore because ye have stedfastly believed the most sweet Promises which God the Father hath made unto you with his own mouth in that he hath promised you which are the faithful seed of the believing Abraham that ye shall be blessed ever world without end The Promises of God your sweet Father as ye do believe so do ye bear record that God is true The testimony whereof ye have worthily born to the world and shortly will full surely Seal the same with your Blood yea even to morrow I do understand He encourageth Gods Martyrs unto their death Oh constant Christians Oh valiant Souldiers of the high Captain Jesus Christ who for your sake hath conquered the Devil Death Sin and Hell and hath given you full victory over them for evermore Oh worthy Witnesses and most glorious Martyrs whose invincible Faith hath overcome that proud sturdy bragging Prince of the World and all his wicked Army over whom ye shall shortly triumph for evermore Ah my sweet hearts the everlasting treasures are full surely laid up for you in Heaven The immercessible and most glorious Crown of Victory is already made and prepared for you to be shortly clapt upon all your happy heads The holy Angels of your heavenly Father are already appointed to conduct your sweet Souls into Abrahams bosome All the heavenly Host rejoyceth already for that they shall shortly receive you with joy and felicity into their blessed Fellowship Selah Rejoyce with double joy and be glad my dear Brethren for doubtless ye have more cause then can be expressed But alas I that for my sins am left behinde may lye and lament with the holy Prophet Psal 119. saying Woe is me that the dayes of my joyfull rest are prolonged Ah cursed Satan which hath caused me so sore to offend my most dear loving Father whereby my exile and banishment is so much prolonged Oh Christ my Advocate pacifie thy Fathers wrath which I have justly deserved that he may take me home to him in his sweet mercy Oh that I might now come home unto thee with my blessed Brethren Well thy will O Lord be effectually fulfilled for it is onely good and turneth all things to the best for such as thou in thy mercies hast chosen And now farewell my dear Hearts most happy in the Lord I trust in my good God yet shortly to see you in the Celestial City whereof undoubtedly the Lord hath already made you free Citizens Though ye be yet with us for a little time your very home is in Heaven where your treasure doth remain with your sweet Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ whose calling you have heard with the ears of your hearts and therefore you shall never come into judgement but pass from death to life Your sins shall never be remembred be they never so many so grievous or so great for your Saviour hath cast them all into the bottom of the Sea he hath removed them from you as far as the East is from the West Psal 103. and his mercy hath much more prevailed over you then is distance between Heaven and Earth and hath given you for an everlasting possession of the same all his Holyness Righteousness and Justification Triumph of Martyrs yea and the Holy Ghost into your hearts wherewith ye are surely sealed unto the day of Redemption to certifie you of your eternal Election and that ye are his true Adopted Sons whereby ye may boldly cry unto God Abba dear Father for evermore so that now no creature in Heaven Earth nor Hell shall be able to accuse you before the throne of the Heavenly King Satan is now cast out from you he himself is judged and hath no part in you he will once more bite you by the heel and then he hath done Gen. 3. for at that time you shall squeeze his head through your own good Christ and so have you final victory for evermore In joyful triumph whereof ye shall sweetly ascend into the place of eternal rest whether your eldest Brother Christ is gone before you to take possâ—ssion for you and to prepare your place under the holy Altar with Cranmer Latimer Ridley Rogers Hooper Saunders Farrar Taylor Bradford Philpot with many other who will be full glad of your coming to see six more of their appointed number that their blood may so much the sooner be revenged on them that dwell on the Earth Thus I make an end committing you all to Gods most merciful defence whose quarrel ye have defended whose cause ye have promoted whose glory ye have set forth and whose name ye have constantly confessed Farewel for a while my dear hearts in the Lord I will make as much hast after you as I may All our dear Brethren salute you They Pray for you and praise God for you continually Blessed be the dead that dye in the Lord for they rest from their Labours saith the Holy Ghost Apoc. 11. and their works follow them Your own John Careles a most unprofitable Servant of the Lord. Pray pray pray To Mr. Green Mr. Whittel and certain other Prisoners in Newgate Condemned and ready to be burnt for the Testimony of the Lord Jesus Another Letter of John Careles wherein he doth animate Green Whittel and the rest of that company unto their Martyrdome THe everlasting peace in Jesus Christ the continual comfort of his most pure and holy Spirit be with you my most dear and faithful Brethren and Sisters of Newgate the Lords appointed Sheep unto the slaughter to the good performance of the great and notable work of the Lord which he hath so graciously begun in you all that the same may redound to the setting forth of his Glory and to the commodity of his Church and to your own everlasting comfort in him So be it Ah my dear hearts and most faithful Brethren and sisters in the Lord what high lauds and praise yea what humble and continual thanks am I bound to give to God our Father for you and on your most happy behalf who so mightily hath magnified himself in you thus far forth in giving you his holy and mighty Spirit to the constant confessing of Christs verity even to the cruel Condemnation and I doubt not but he will do the same to the death Oh happy and blessed are you that ever you were born that the Lord will vouch you worthy of this great dignity to dye for his sake Doubtless it is the greatest honour that God can give you in this life Yea Apoc. 11. if they be so blessed of God that dye in the Lord as the Holy Ghost saith they be To dye in the Lord and for the Lord. how much more blessed and happy then are you that dye not onely in the Lord but also for the Lord Oh that it were the good will of
Blood-thirsty Bite-sheeps Bishops I should say that you have begun For though in conclusion they will surely have your blood yet shall they come by it with shame enough and to their perpetual infamy whiles the world doth endure They would indeed condemn you in hugger-mugger to darken Gods glory if it might be but Satans thoughts are not unknown to you and the depth of his subtilty is by you well foreseen Therefore let them do whatsoever God shall suffer them to do for I know all things shall tuâ—n to your best Though you lie in the dark slurried with the Bishops black Cole-dust yet shall you be shortly restored unto the heavenly Light and made as white as snow in Salmon and as the wings of a Dove Psal 68. thaâ— is covered with silver wings and her feathers like gold You know the Vessel before it be made bright is soiled with Oyle and other things that it may scoure the better Oh happy be you that you be now in the Scouring-house for shortly you shall be set upâ—n the Celâ—stâ—al shelf as bright as Angels Therefore my dear hearâ— I will now according to your loving request cast away all care and rejoyce with you and praise God for you and pray for you day and night yea I will now with Gods grace siâ—g Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving with you for now my Soul is turned to her old rest again and hath taken a sweet nap in Christs lap I have cast my care upon the Lord which careth for me and will be careles according to my Name in that respect which you would have me I will leave out my unseemly addition as long as I live for it can take no place where true faith and hope is resident Gods gracious work through M Philpots Letter So soon as I had read your most godly and comfortable Letter my sorrows vanished away as smoke in the wind my Spirit revived and comfort came again whereby I am sure the Spirit of God was Author of it Oh good Mr. Philpot which art a principal Pot indeed filled with most precious Liquor as it appeareth by the plenteous pouring forth of the same Oh Pot most happy of the high Potter ordained to honour which dost contain such heavenly treasure in the Earthen vessel Oh Pot thrice happy in whom Christ hath wrought a great Miracle altering thy nature and turning water into wine and that of the best whereout the Master of the Feast hath filled my cup so full John Careles drunken with joy of the spirit that I am become drunken in the joy of the Spirit thorow the same When Martyrdome shall break thee O vessel of honour I know the fragrant savour of thy precious Nard will much rejoyce the heavy hearts of Christs true Members although the Judasses will grudge and murmure at the same yea and burst out into words of slander saying It is but lost and waste Be not offended dear heart at my Metaphorical speech for I am disposed to be merry 2 Kin. 6. and with David to dance before the Ark of the Lord and though you play upon a pair of Organs not very comely or easie to the flesh yet the sweet sound that came from the same causeth me thus to do O that I were with you in body as presently as I am in spirit that I might sing all care away in Christ for now the time of comfort is come I hope to be with you shortly if all things happen aright Careles accused to the Council by certain backe friends in Coventry for my old friends of Coventry have put the Council in remembrance of me not six dayes ago saying That I am more worthy to be burned then any that was burned yet Gods blessing on their hearts for their good report God make me worthy of that dignity and hasten the time that I may set forth his Glory Pray for me dear heart I beseech you and will all your company to do the same and I will pray God for you all so long as I live And now farewell in Christ thou bl ssed of Gods own mouth Note how comfortable the Lord worketh in his prisoned Saints I will for a time take my leave but not my last farewel Blessed be the time that ever I came into the Kings Bench to be joyned in love and fellowship with such dear Châ—ldren of the Lord. My good Brother Bradford shall not be dead whiles you be alive for verily the spirit of him doth rest on you in most ample wise Your Letters of comfort unto me in each point do agree as though the one were a copy of the other He hath planted in me and you do water the Lord give good increase My dear Brethren and fellow-prisoners here have them humbly and heartily commended unto you and your company mourning for your misery but yet rejoycing for your plenteous Consolation and comfort in Christ We are all chearful and merry under our Cross and do lack no necessaries Praised be God for his Providence and great mercy towards us for evermore Amen Mr. Bradfords Letter to Careles ALmighty God our dear Father through and for the Merits of his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ be mercifull unto us pardon us our offences and under the wâ—ngs of his Mercy protect us from all evil from henceforth and for ever Amen Dear Brother Careles I heartily pray you to pray to God for me for the pardon of my manifold sins and most grievous offences which need none other demonstration unto you then this namely That I have behaved my self so negligently in answering your godly triple Letters which are three Witnesses against me God lay not them nor none other thing to my charge to Condemnation though to Correction Not my will Practice of the Keyes of the Gospel but his will be done Concerning your request of Absolution my dearest Brother what shall I say but even as truth is That the Lord of all Mercy and Father of all Comfort through the Merits and Mediation of his dear Son thy onely Lord and Saviour hath clearly remitted and pardoned all thy offences whatsoever they be that ever hitherto thou hast committed against his Majesty and therefore he hath given to thee as to his Childe dear Brother John Careles in token that thy sins are pardoned He I say hath given unto thee a penitent and believing heart that is a heart which desireth to repent and believe For such an one is taken of him he accepting the will for the deed for a penitent and believing heart indeed Wherefore my good Brother be merry glad and of good chear for the Lord hath taken away thy sins thou shalt not dye Go thy wayes the Lord hath put away thy sins The East is not so farre from the West as the Lord now hath put thy sins from thee Look how the Heavens be in comparison of â—he Earth so farre hath his Mercy prevailed toward thee his dear Childe John