faythe and firme hope of eternall life dearely beloued whiche of long tyme ye haue learned and throughlye perswaded your selues in by the truth vnfallible veritye of the heauenlye worde sealed with christes most precious blood is verye sore and daungerouslye assaulted and by all meanes possible attempted to be taken from you that ye should haue no longer credit to gods truth but beleue mās lies nor haue you saluation by Christe that once died and offred himself for sinne once for al but that ye should beleue now your saluation in Christ to be manye times offered by wicked men euery day in the abhominable masse to the vtter conculcation and defacing of christes death as the wicked pope and his adherents would perswade you not as Christ your sauiour hath taught you But this sodaine and miserable chaunge from the truth vnto falshode from god Christ to the deuil and Antichrist doubtles cōmeth of god for our manifold synnes towardes the heauenly father our shephard that taught vs a long time with his blessed word and we were neither thankefull for it nor yet put our trust in hym as in one that onely could saue and defend his own word but we thought in our folishnes that the world was so much and so many wayes with the word of God that euen by mannes strength it myght haue ben defended wheras the truth of gods word is permanent and neuer fayleth saying Ieremy 17 Psal 30 cursed be they that make flesh their defence shield For as king Dauid when god had broughte him to possesse hys kyngdome peaceably sayde like a foole as he was I shall neuer be more vnquieted but yet the Lord turned his face from hym and he found straight way such an alteration as he neuer founde before with increase of newe daungers more troublous then euer he had before euen likewise whē god had geuen vs a blessed and holy king and such maiestrates although they were synners as wished the glorye of god onely to be preferred by true doctrine we lyke carnall men thought our selues so sure and so stablished that it had not bene possible to haue sene such a pitious and myserable chaunge and the truth of gods word so oppressed as we see at this present daye But we be most worthely punished euen the same wayes that we haue offended We dyd put our trust in fleshe and where as Gods spirite in fleshe dwelled as in our holy blessed kyng Edward the sixte he is now dead in the flesh and his holy soule resteth with the heauenly father in ioyes for euer he is nowe I saye taken from vs and cannot helpe vs such as in his tyme seemed much to fauour the glory of god are become gods enemies can both hear other to proced against the glory of god also set fort the same thēselues as much as thei may so that such spirituall and godly persons as sought in the flesh gods glory are taken from vs or els in such case as they can doe vs no good And such fleshe as folowed and loued God in the sighte of the worlde and had great vauntage by hys word are become his very enemies and not only his but also enemies to hys members But yet as kyng Dauyd knew his folish foly and with repentaunce repented and found grace so it may please god to geue vs of his grace holy spirit to amend our faultes in the lyke offence and helpe vs as he did him But doubtles great is our iniquity For there was neuer so great abhomination redde of and so quickly to preuaile as this abhomination of the wicked masse hathe preuailed in Englande And all Christen men knowe that the Turkes and heathen neither haue nor yet had euer any so sensibly knowen and manifest an Idoll Wherfore Vpon this psalme as vpon dyuers other he wrote a godly most comfortable treatise whe◠unto he annexed this letter as a preface that almighty god of his mercye may preserue his people in this noble City of London I haue write vpon the 23. psal of king Dauid to aduertise men howe they shal beware of heresies and false doctrine and so to lyue to his honour and glorye Albeit I knowe dearely beloued that all those whiche seeke Godes honour and the furtheraunce of his gospel bee accompted the Quenes enemies although we daily pray for her grace and neuer thynke her harme but we must content to suffer slaunder patiētly to beare al such iniuries Neuertheles this is out of doubt that the Quenes highnes hathe no aucthoritye to compell any man to beleue any thyng contrary to gods worde neyther may the subiecte geue her grace that obedience in case he do his soule is lost for euer Our bodies goods and liues be at her highnes commaundement and she shall haue thē as of true subiects but the soule of man for religiō is bound to none but vnto god and hys holy word To a certayne godly woman instructing her how she should behaue her selfe in the time of her widowhode THe grace of god and the comfort of his holy spirit be with you and with all them that vnfainedly loue his holy gospell Amen I thanke you deare sister for yor most louing remembraunce and althoughe I can not recompence the same yet doe I wishe with all my hart that god would doe it requiring you not to forget your duty towardes god in these perilous days in the which the Lorde wyll trye vs. I truste you doe increase by readyng of the Scriptures the knowledge you haue of God and that you diligently applye your selfe to folowe the same for the knowledge helpeth not excepte the lyfe be accordyng there vnto Further I do hartely praye you to consider the state of your widowhode and if God shall put in your mynde to chaunge it remember the sayeng of Saint Paule 1. Corinthians 7 it is lawfull for the widow or mayden to mary to whom they list so it be in the lord that is to say to such a one as is of Christes religion Dearely beloued in Christ remember these wordes for you shal fynd therby great ioy and comfort if you chaunge your state Whereof I will when I haue better leysure as now I haue none at all further aduertise you In the meane time I commende you to God and the guidyng of hys good spirite who stablyshe and confirme you in all well doyng and keepe you blameles to the daye of the Lorde Watche and praye for this day is at hand Yours assured in Christ Ioh Hoper An aunswer to a frende of his for a woman that was troubled with her husband in matters of religion how she should behaue her selfe towardes him THe grace and peace of God our deare father throughe Iesus Christe oure Lord Amen As concerning the party whom you wrote vnto me of I haue here sent you mine aduise and what I thynke is beste in this case to be done Fyrste she shall
heritike but not of others theÌ„ of heretykes whose prayse is a disprayse You are not able to reason agaynst the priestes but God wil that al they shal not be able to withstand you No body will doe so but you only In dede no matter for fewe enter into the narow gate whiche bryngeth to saluation How be it you shall haue with you I doubt not Father Traues and others my brothers and systers to goe with you therein but if they will not I youre sonne in GOD I trust shal not leaue you an inche but goe before you praye that I maye and geue thankes for me Reioyce in my suffetyng for it is for youre sakes to confyrme the truth I haue taughte Howe soeuer you doe beware thys letter come not abroade but into Father Traues hys handes for if it should be knowen that I haue penne and Inke in the pryson then wold it be worse with me Therfore to your selues kepe thys letter commending me to God and his mercy in Christ Iesus who make me worthy for his names sake to geue my life for his gospel church sake Out of the Tower of London the .6 day of October 1553. My name I wryte not for causes you know it well enough lyke the letter neuer the worse Commende me to all our good brethren and sisters in the Lord. How soeuer you do be obedient to the higher powers that is in no point eyther in hand or tong rebell but rather if they commaund that which with good conscience you can not obey lay your head on the block and suffer what soeuer they shal do or say By pacience possesse your soules To my very frende in the Lorde Doctor Hyll Phisition THe God of mercy and father of al comfort at this preseÌ„t and for euer engraffe in your hart the sense of his mercy in Christ and the continuance of his consolatioÌ„ which can not but enable you to cary with ioy what soeuer crosse he shall lay vpon you Amen Hetherto I coulde haue no such libertie as to write vnto you as I thinke you know but now in that through gods prouidence I haue no such restraint I can not but somthing write aswell to purge me of the suspition of vnthankfulnes towardes you as allso to signifie my carefulnes for you in these perilous dayes least you should waxe colde in Gods cause which god forbid or suffer the light of the Lorde once kindled in your hart to be quenched and so become as you were before after the example of the world and of many others which would haue bene accompted otherwise in our daies and yet stil beguile them selues still woulde be so accompted althoughe by their outwarde life they declare the contrarye in that they thinke it enough to keepe the harte pure notwithstanding that the outwarde man doth currye fauoure In which doing as they denye God to bee Ielous and therfore requireth he the whole man as well bodye as soule being both create as to immortalitie and societie with hym so redeemed by the bloude of Iesus Christ and nowe sanctifyed by the holy spirite to bee the temple of God and member of hys Sonne as I say by their partyng stake to geue God the harte and the world the body they deny god to be Ielous for els they would geue him both as the wife will do to her husband whether he be Ielous or no if she be honest so they play the dissemblers with the church of God by their facte offending the godlye whome either they prouoke to fal with them or make more careles conscienceles yf they be fallen and occasioning the wicked and obstinate to triumphe against god and the more vehemently to prosecute their malice against such as wil not defyle themselues in body or soule with the Romishe ragges now reuiued emonges vs. Because of this I meane lest you my dere Maister brother in the lord shuld do as many of our gospellers or rather gospell spillers doe for feare of man Esay 2 whose breath is in his nostrelles and hash power but of the body not fearing the Lorde whiche hathe power both of soule and body and that not onely temporally but also eternally I coulde not but wryte somethyng vnto you aswell because duty deserueth it for manye benefites I haue receiued of God by your handes for the which he reward you for I cannot as also because charitye and loue compelleth me not that I thinke you haue any neede for as I maye rather learne of you so I doubte not but you haue hetherto kepte your selfe vpright from halting but that I might both quiet my conscience callyng vpon me hereabout and signify vnto you by some thyng my carefulnes for your soule as painfullye and often you haue done for my body Therfore I pray you call to mynde that there bee but two maisters two kyndes of people two wayes and two mansion places The maisters be Christ and Satan the people be seruitures to either of these the wayes be straite and wyde the mansions be heauen and hell Agayne consider that this worlde is the place of trial of gods people and the deuils seruauntes for as the one will followe his maister whatsoeuer cometh of it so will the other For a tyme it is harde to discerne who perteyneth to god and who to the deuill as in the calme and peace who is a good shipman and wariour who is not But as when the storme aryseth the expert mariner is knowne as in warre the good souldiour is seene so in affliction and the crosse easelye gods children are knowen froÌ„ Sathans seruants â—or then as the good seruant will folow his maister so wyll the godly followe their Capitayne come what come wyll where as the wycked and hyyocrites will bidde adew and desyre lesse of Christes acquaintaunce For whiche cause the crosse is called a probation and triall bicause it tryeth who wyll goe wyth GOD and who wyll forsake hym As nowe in Englande we see howe smal a companye Chryste hathe in comparison of Sathans souldiours Lette no man deceyue hymselfe for he that gathereth not with Christe scattereth abroade No man can serue two maisters the Lorde abhorreth double hartes the luke warme that is suche as are bothe whote and colde he spitteth out of his mouthe None that halte on both knees doth god take for hys seruaunts The way of Christe is the strayte waye and so strayte that as fewe fynde it and fewe walke in it so no man can halte in it but nedes muste goe vpryghte for as the straitenesse wyll suffer no reelyng to thys syde or that syde so yf anye man halte he is lyke to fal of the brydge into the pit of eternal perdition Stryue therfore good maister Doctor nowe you haue founde it to enter into it and if you should be called or pulled backe looke not on this side or that side or behynd you as Lothes wyfe dyd but strayght forewardes on the ende which set
shew ourselues feareful souldiours as it is manifestly declared in the Reuelaciō of S. Iohn where it is written Apo. 2. that the fearefull shall haue their part wyth the vnbeleuing and abhominable in the lake that burneth wyth fire and brimstone which is the seconde death Apoc. 3 Againe it is written in the same booke for our warnyng because thou art betwixt both and neyther cold nor whote I wyll spewe the out of my mouth Now therfore good christians these true testimonies of gods liuely worde depely considered and wayed lette vs chiefly stand in awe of hys most terrible iudgementes Esay 8. Prouer. 3. and be not as they that presumptuously tempt hym Let him alway be our feare dread He now chasteneth he nowe nurtereth vs for our profite delightyng in vs euen as a louyng father in hys beloued childe Heb. 12 1. Cor. 11 2. Reg. 7. to make vs perfect and to haue vs to be pertakers of his holynes He now iudgeth vs not vtterly takyng away hys euerlastyng loue and mercy from vs as he dothe from the malignaunt and wycked that we should not be condemned wyth the wycked world but if we now refuse hys most louing chastising followe the world we must nedes haue our portiō wyth the world Wyde is the gate broad is the way which leadeth to destructiō Math. 7 and many there be which go in therat But straite is the gate narrow is the way that leadeth vnto life and few there be that fynde it Oh how much better is it to go thys narrow way wyth the people of god then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a tyme. In consideration whereof let vs wythout anye more slackyng and further delayes in thys great warnyng by gods louyng visitation submit our selues betime vnder hys myghty hand 1. pet 5 that he maye exalte vs when the tyme is come And thus I wholy committe you to hym and to the worde of his grace which is able to build further beseching you most hartely to pray for me that I may be strong through the power of hys might and stande perfect in all thynges beyng alwais prepared and redy lokyng for the mercye of our lord vnto eternal rest and I will pray for you as I am most bound So I trust he wil graciously heare vs for hys promise sake made vnto all faithfull in his dearely beloued sonne Christ our alone Sauiour whose grace be with your spirit most deare Christians for euer So be it By your Christian brother Iohn Hullyer a prisoner of the Lorde ¶ Iohn Hullyer beyng of longe tyme prysoner and now openly iudged to dye for the testimony of the lord Iesus wysheth hartely to the whole congregation of God the strength of hys holy spirite to theyr euerlasting health both of body and soule I Now most dere christians hauyng the swete comforte of gods sauing health and beyng confirmed wyth hys free spirit be he only praysed therefore am constrayned in my conscience thinkyng it my very duety to admonish you as ye tender the saluation of your soules by al maner of meanes to separate your selues from the companye of the Popes hirelinges consideryng what is said in the reuelation of S. Iohn Apo. 14. by the Aungel of god touching al men The words be these If any man worship the beast and hys image and receyue hys marke in his forehead or in hys hand the same shall drynke the wyne of the wrath of God which is poured into the cup of his wrath and he shall be punished with fyre and brimstone before the holy aungels and before the lambe and the smoke of theyr tormēt ascendeth vp euermore Marke well here good christians who is this beast and worshippers that shal be pertakers of that vnspeakable torment This beast is none other but the carnall and fleshly kingdome of Antichrist the Pope wyth hys rable of false Prophetes and ministers as it is most manifest the which to maintayn their high titles worldly promotions and dignities do with much crueltye daily more and more set forth and establish their owne traditions decrees and decretals contrary to gods holy ordinaunces statutes lawes and commaundements and wholy repugnant to hys syncere pure religion and true worshippyng Nowe what doe they elles but worshippe thys beast and hys image which after they had once already escaped from the fylthines of the world 2. peter 2. through the knowlege of the lord and Sauioure Iesus Christe are yet again tāgled therin and ouercome vsing dissimulation vnfaithfully for feare of their displeasure doing one thyng outwardlye and thinkyng inwardlye an other so hauing them in reuerence vnder a cloke and colour to whom they ought not so much as to say god spede Iohn 3. adioining themselues to the malignaūt congregatiō which they ought to abhorre as a dēne of theues murtherers Iohn 10 EZe 16 as the brothel house of most blasphemous fornicators whose voices being contrary to christes voice if they were of his flocke they would not know but wold fly frō thē as he himself being the good shepehard of our soules doth ful wel in his holy gospel testify Iohn 10. Agayn what do they els I pray you but receiue the beastes marke in their foreheades in their hands which do beare a faire face and coūtenance outwardly in supporting them as other do being ashamed openly to confesse christ and his holy gospel But this fainednes dissimulatiō Mar. 18. christ and hys gospel wil in no wise allow of whō it is said whosoeuer shal be ashamed of me my words in this adulterous and synful generation Luke 9. of him also shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he shal come in the glory of his father with his holy angels Therfore sayth almighty god by his prophet Malachy Mala. 1. Heb. 6 cursed be the dissēblers Ye wer once syghtned and tasted of the heauenly gift were become partakers of the holy ghost tasted of the word of god and of the power of the world to come Luk. 6. 2. Iohn 2. And our Sauiour Christ sayth no man that putteth his hand to the plough and loketh backe is apt for the kingdom of god Therfore S. Iohn the Apostle vseth this for a manifest token that the backesliding frō the true teachers of gods word declareth euidētly that they be not of the nūber of them For sayth he they went out frō vs but they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs no dout they would haue cōtinued wyth vs. Surely so long as we vse dissimulatiō to play on both handes we are not in the light For whatsoeuer is manifest Ephe. 4 the same is light as the elect vessel of god S. Paul witnesseth Wherfore good christiās for gods most dere loue deceiue not your selues through your own wisdō through the wisdō of the world which is folishnes before god but certify
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
way Math. 7 2. Timot. 3 2. Cor. 5 Math. 14. which few walke in for fewe lyue godly in Christ Iesu few regard the lyfe to come few remember the day of iudgement fewe remember how Christ will deny them beforh hys father that do denye him here few consider that Christ wyll be ashamed of them in the last day which are ashamed now of hys truthe true seruice few cast theyr accomptes what will be laid to theyr charge in the day of vengeaūce fewe regard the condemnation of their owne consciences in doyng that which inwardly they disalow few loue god better then theyr goodes Rom. 14. but I trust yet ye are of these few my derely beloued I trust ye be of the little flocke which shall enherite the kyngdome of heauen I trust ye are of the mourners and lamēters which shal be comforted with comfortes which neuer shal be taken from you if ye nowe repente your former euils Luke 10 if nowe ye stryue agaynste the euyls that are in you if now ye cōtinue to call vppon God if nowe ye defile not your bodies with anye Idolatrous seruice vsed in the Antichristian churches Ephesi 4. if ye moleste not the good spirite of God which is geuen you as a gage of eternal redēption a coūseller master to lead you into all truth whiche good spirit I beseche the father of mercy to geue vs all for hys dere sonnes sake Iesus Christ our lord Acts. 20 to whom I cōmend you al to the word of his grace which is able to helpe you all saue you all that beleue it follow it serue god therafter And of this I would ye were al certain that al the heares of your heades are numbred so that not one of thē shal perish Math. 8. Iob. 1. Psa 104 Psa 13. 1. pet 5 neither shal any man or deuil be able to attempt any thing much lesse to doe any thing to you or any of you before your heauēly father which loueth you most tēderly shal geue thē leaue when he hath geuen them leaue they shal go no further then he wyll nor kepe you in trouble any longer then he wyll Therfore caste on hym all your care for he is carefull for you onely studye to please him and to kepe your consciences cleane and your bodies pure from the Idolatrous seruice which now euery where is vsed and god will meruelously and mercifully defend and comforte you whiche thing he doe for hys names sake in Christ our Lord. Amen Iohn Bradforde To my good Lady Vane THe true sense and swete feelyng of gods eternall mercies in Christe Iesus bee euer more and more liuely wrought in your hart by the holy ghost Amen I most hartely thanke you good madame for your comfortable letters where as you would be aduertised what were beste to bee done on your behalfe concernyng your iij. questions the truthe is that the questions are neuer well sene nor aunswered vntil the thynge whereof they arise bee well considered I meane vntill it be sene how great an euill the thing is If it be once in dede in your hart perceaued vpon probable and pithy places gathered out of gods booke that there was neuer thing vpon the earthe so great so much an aduersary to gods true seruice to Christes death passion priesthode sacrifice and kingdome to the ministery of gods worde and sacraments to the church of God These questions were concerning the masse wherin she desired hys iudgement to repentaunce faith and all true godlines of life as that is wherof the questiōs arise as most assuredly it is in dede then cannot a christiā hart but so much the more abhorre it and al thynges that in any point might seme to allow it or anye thyng pertainyng to the same by howe much it hath the name of gods seruice Agayne your Ladiship doth know that as all is to be discommended and auoyded which is followed or fledde from in respect of our selues in respecte of auoyding Christes crosse so the ende of all our doynges should be to godwards to his glory to our neighbours to edification and good example wherof none can be geuen in allowing anye of the .iii. questions by you propoūded But because this which I write now is breefe and needeth the more consideration or explication as I doubt not of the one in you so from me by Gods grace you shall receaue the other shortly For I haue alreadye written a little booke of it which I will send vnto you He meaneth his booke whiche he calleth the hurt of hearīg masse in the which you shall haue your questions fully aunswered and satisfied and therefore I omitte to write any more hereaboutes presentlye beseching God our good father to guide you as his deare childe with his spirite of wisedome power and comforte vnto eternall life that you may be stronge and reioyce in him and with his church to cary Christes crosse if he shall so thinke it neede 1. Pet. 1. which is a thyng to be desired wished and embraced if we looked on thinges after the iudgement of Gods word and tryed them by that touchstone If you be accustomed to thinke on the breuitie vanitie and miserie of this life and o◠the eternitie truth and felicitie of euerlasting life if you looke on thinges after their endes and not after their present appearaunce only if you vse your self to set gods presence power and mercy alwayes before your eyes to see thē as god by euery creature would you should I doubt not but you shall finde such strength and comforte in the Lord as you shall not be shaken with all the power of Sathan Gods mercy in Christ be with you and his good spirite guide you for euer Amen An other letter to the Lady Vane AS to myne owne soule I wishe to your Ladiship grace and mercy from God our deare Father in Christe our Lorde and Sauioure I thanke God that something he hath eased you and mitigated his fatherly correction in vs both I woulde to God he had done so much in the behalfe of the greefe of the body to you as he hath done to me For as for the soule I trust you feele that which I pray god encrease in you I meane his fatherly loue and graunte that I may with you feele the same in such degree as may please him I wil not say as you feele least I should seeme to aske to muche at one time God doth often muche more plentifullye viset with the sense of hys mercye them that humble them selues vnder his mightye hande and are sore exercised as you long haue bene then others whiche to the face of the worlde haue a more shewe and appearaunce Therfore I wysh as I do and that not only for myne own commoditye but also that I myght occasion you to the consideration of the goodnesse of God which I by your letters doe well espye which is in
idolatrous seruyce but with their haâ—â—s say they and wyth theyr spirites they serue the lorde Math. 8. And so by this meanes as they saue theyr pygges which they would not lose I meane their worldlye pelfe so they would please the protestantes and bee counted wyth them for gospellers Company not with MoÌ„grels yea mary would they But mine owne beloued in the Lord flee from such persones as from men most perilous and pernicious bothe before God and man Mongrels are false both to god and man for they are false to bothe and true to neyther To the magistrates they are false pretendyng one thyng and meanyng cleane contrary God wil haue the whole seruice of soule and body He made both He kepeth both He redemed both To god they are most vntrue geuing him but a peese whych shoulde haue the whole I woulde they woulde tell me who made their bodyes Dyd not GOD as well as theyr sprites and soules And who kepeth bothe Dothe not be still And alas shall not he haue the seruice of the body but it must be geueÌ„ to serue the new found god of Antichristes inuention Dyd not Christe bye both our soules and bodies And wherwith wyth any lesse pryce then wyth hys precious blood Ah wretches theÌ„ that we be if we wyll defyle either parte with the rose coloured whore of Babylons fylthye Masse abhomination Apoc. 18 2. pet 2 Hebr. 6.10 Math. 12 Luke 11 Mongress sinne againste their owne consciences It had ben better for vs neuer to haue bene washed then so to wallow our selues in the fylthy puddle of popery It had bene better neuer to haue knowen the truth then thus to betray it Surely surelye let such men feare that their later ende be not worse then the begynnyng Their owne conscience now accuseth them before god yf so be they haue any conscience that they are but dissemblers and hypocrites to God and man For all the clokes they make they cannot auoyde this but that their going to church and to Masse is of selfe loue The onely cause why Mongrels goe to Masse is to auoyde the crosse 1 Cor. 10. Actes 5 Deut. 12. that is they go thether because they would auoyde the crosse They go thether because they woulde be out of trouble They seke neither the Quenes highnes nor her lawes which in thys poynte cannot bynde the conscience to obey because they are coÌ„trary to gods lawes which bid vs often to flee Idolatrye and worshipping hym after mens deuises they seke neither I say the lawes if there were anye neyther theyr brethernes commoditie for none commeth therby neyther godlines or good example for there can be none found in goyng to Masse c. but horrible offences and woe to them that geue them but they seeke their owne selues their own ease theyr escapyng the crosse c. Math. 15. when they haue made all the excuses they can theyr owne conscience wyll accuse them of this that their goyng to church is onely because they seeke themselues For yf there woulde no trouble ensue for taryeng awaye I appeale to their conscience woulde they come thether Neuer I dare say Therfore as I sayd they seke themselues they would not cary the crosse And hereof their own conscience if they haue any conscience doth accuse them Now if their conscience accuse them at this present what will it doe before the iudgemente seate of Christe who wyl then excuse it when Christ shall appeare in iudgement Luke 9.12 Mark 8. and shall begynne to be ashamed of them then which now here are ashamed of him who then I say wyll excuse these Masse gospellers consciences wyll the quenes hyghnes She shal then haue more to do for her selfe then without harty and spedye repeÌ„tauÌ„ce she can euer be able to aunswer though Peter Paule Marye Iames Iohn the Pope and all hys Prelates take her parte with all the syngyng Syr Iohns that euer were are and shall bee Wyll the Lorde Chauncellour and prelates of the realme excuse them there Nay nay they are like then to smarte for it so sore as I woulde not bee in theyr places for all the whole world Wil the lawes of the realme the nobilitie gentlemen Iustices of peace c. excuse oure gospell Massemongers conscience then Nay God knoweth they can do little there but quake and feare for the heauy vengeaunce of God lyke to fall vppon them Will their goodes landes and possessions the which they by theyr dissemblyng haue saued wyl these serue to excuse them No no god is no merchaunte as our Masse priestes be Will Masses or treÌ„tals such trash serue No verily the haunters of thys geare then shall be horribly ashamed Wyll the Catholike church excuse them Nay it wyll most of all accuse them as will all the good fathers Patriarkes Apostles Prophetes Martyrs coÌ„fessors and saintes with al the good Doctors and good general counsels The most abhominatioÌ„ oâ—â—aeth is the Masse al these alredy condeÌ„ne the Masse al that euer vseth it as it is now beyng of all idoles that euer was the most abhominable and blasphemous to Christ and hys priestehode manhode and sacrifice for it maketh the prieste that sayth Masse the Masse priest is Christes fellow gods fellow and better then Christ for the offerer is alwayes better or equiualent to the thyng offred If therfore the priest take vpon him there to offer vp Christ as they boldly affyrme they do theÌ„ must he nedes be better or equal with Christ Hebr. 5. Oh that they would shew but one iote of the scripture of god calling theÌ„ to this dignitie or of their authority to offer vp Christ for the quicke and dead to apply the benefyt vertue of his death and passion to whom they wyll The Masse priestes frendship is better-then christes Surely if this were true as it is most false and blasphemous prate they at their pleasure to the contrarye then it made no matter at all whether Christe were our frende or no if so be the Masse priest were our frende for he can apply vs Christes merites by his Masse if he wyll and when he wil The Masse priest is aboue god for he can make god Math. 24. and therfore we nede litle to care for Christes frendship They can make hym when they will and where they wyll Loe heare he is there he is saye they but beleue them not saith Christ beleue them not beleue them not sayth he For in hys humane nature and body which was made of the substaunce of the virgins body and not of breade in thys body I say he is sitteth on the right hand of God the father almighty in heauen from whence and not from the pixe shal he come to iudge both the quicke dead Act. 3. Rom. 8 Hebr. 7 Hebr. 9. 1. Thess 5. In the meane season heaueÌ„ saith S. Peter must receiue him And as Paule saith
before but you shall come after sooner or later Howebeit I could not but before I goe sygnify thus much vnto you as I haue done that you myghte see my loue and thereby bee occasioned to increase in loue and learne rather to beare then breake My poore most dere Syster to me that euer I had with whō I leaue thys lettter I commende vnto you all and to euery of you beseechyng you and hartelye praying you in the bowels and bloode of Iesus Chryste to care for her as for one whyche is deare in Gods syghte and one whiche loueth you all in GOD and hath done as I can and doe beare her wytnes althoughe in the poynte of predestination it hathe pleased God by my ministerye to open vnto her hys truthe Wherein as she is setled and I truste in God confyrmed so yf you cannot thynke wyth her therein as she dothe I hartelye praye you and as I can in Gods behalfe charge you that you molest her not nor dysquiete her but lette loue abounde and therein contende who can goe moste before I commende also vnto you my good Syster M. C. makyng for her the lyke sure vnto you all Ah dere hartes be not faint harted for these euyll dais which are come to trie vs purify vs that we may the more be parteners of gods holines as to our selues so to the worlde we shal be beter knowen Continue to walke in the feare of the Lord as ye haue wel begonne Kepe your selues pure as I hope you do from thys rotten Romish yea Antichristian religion Reuerently read gods word therto ioyning prayer that as you heare in readyng god speake vnto you so in praying you may speake vnto hym Labour after your callyngs to helpe other As you haue done do styll and I pray god geue you grace to continue as I dout not but he wil for hys goodnes sake At the lēgth we shal mete together in Christes kyngdome and there neuer part a sunder but prayse the name of our good god and father wyth the Patriarkes Prophets Apostels Aungels Archaungels and all the Saintes of God Oh ioyfull place oh place of all places desyred My brethren I thynke my selfe more happye then you by how much I am nowe more nere vnto it Helias chariote I hourely loke for 4 Reg. 2 to come and catch me vppe My cloke that is my carcas I shall leaue behind me in ashes which I doute not my Lord wyl rayse vp and restore to me again in the last day glorifyed euen lyke vnto hys owne most glorious body The portion of the good spirit which my father hath lent me I wyshe yea double and treble vnto you al. God the father of mercy in the blood of his christ geue to euery of you my dere hartes in hym hys blessyng and poure plentifullye vpon you hys holy spirite that you may increase in all godly knowledge and godlines to your owne comfort and the edification of many others Amen Yet once more I commend vnto you my foresaid most dere and beloued Syster in the lord who alwais be vnto her a most louyng father spouse and pastour Amen Amen Out of prison the 16. of February 1554. Your owne harte Iohn Bradforde To Trewe and Abyngton wyth other of their company teachers and maynteiners of the errour of mans freewyll YEt once more beloued in the Lord before penne and yuke be vtterly taken from me as I looke it to bee thys after noone I thought good to write vnto you because I stande in a doubte whether at any tyme hereafter I shall see or speake wyth you for within this seuen night my lord Chaūcelour bade loke for iudgement God knoweth I lye not I neuer did beare you malice nor sought the hynderance of any one of you but youre good bothe in soule and bodye Read the 1. Cor. 13. chap. and compare these spirites wyth the spirit of humblenes vnity and loue which here you se in this man of God doyng good euen to his aduersaries and then iudge of them theyr doctrine as when we shall all appeare together before God I am certayne you shall then know though now you doubte it and that causes I am right well assured For myne owne conscience can and doth beare witnes wyth me that I neuer defrauded you or any of you of the valewe of one peny or peny worth of any thyng but haue sought wyth that whyche hath bene geuen not onely in common but also vnto me to myne owne vse discretion and distribution to doe you good Therfore disdaine not the good will of your louer in god And in hope that you wil not I haue eftsones euē now sente vnto you xiij.s iiij d. Yf you nede as much more you shall haue it or any thyng olles I haue or can doe for you Though in some thyngs we agree not yet let loue beare the bell away and let vs one pray for another He meaneth concerning freewyl original sume predestinatiō c. wherein they are playne Pelagians and papistes and bee carefull one for another for I hope we bee all Christes As you hope your selues to perteyne to hym so thinke of me and as you be hys so am I yours Iohn Bradford ¶ At thys letter these men were so sore offended because he sayde he had hyndered hymselfe to further them as though be had therby vpbrayded them that in dyspleasure they sent it to hym agayne Whereupon he wrote vnto them as followeth HE that seketh not to hynder hym selfe temporally that he may further hys brother in more nede the same wanteth true loue I haue done do and wil except you refuse it hynder my selfe thys way that I may further you and in dede my selfe also that way Though he distributed to them emōges other prisoners there not only that which was geuen in cōmon but also to hys owne vse yet they suspected hym of euil dealyng Thus do not they in whom the loue of God dwelleth wherein I desyre to be furthered Yf I would seke mine owne gaynes temporallye then coulde I haue taken vsed many portiōs of mony whiche haue bene geuen to me mine owne vse I neuer mynded to vpbraide you but that whiche I dyd wryte of myne owne hynderance was that you myght see I loued you and sought your weale as I doe and wyll be glad to doe it continually The lord of mercy hath forgeuen vs all wherefore henceforth lette vs rather beare then breake Yours in the Lorde Iohn Bradford ¶ A letter whyche he set as a preface before a supplication sente to Quene Marye her counsel and the whole Parliamente whiche supplication commeth not yet to our handes IN most humble wise complaineth vnto your Maiesty and honours a poore subiect persecuted for the confession of Christes verity the which verity deserueth at your handes to be maintayned and defended as the thynge by the which you reigne and haue your honoure and authorities Althoughe we that bee
I being so long so nere you did not enterpryse to stirre vp familiaritie comunicatiō betwene vs by writing to our mutual cōsolation in Christe For what is there vpon earth wherin to reioyce where al things are transitory vaine yea mā him self respecting this life but as Dauid saith Psal 16 the Saints that dwel vpon the earth such as excel in vertue But here now I consider that if the felowship loue ioy of faythful men and children of god being as we now be in double bondage the body within clay walles the soule wtin these frayle earthly bodies be so great and comfortable howe vnspeakeable wil those ioyes be when we shal be deliuered frō al corruption into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of god Where we shal be present together continually in our glorified bodies beholding the face of our father presently whō now we see but in the glasse of fayth with his dere sonne christ our redemer brother and the blessed companye of Angels al faithful saued soules Oh the incomparable good things and heauenly treasures layd vp for vs in heauen by christ Iesu For the obteyning wherof we ought to set light by al tēporal grefes and transitory afflictions so much the more in that our good God is faythful wil not suffer vs to be tēpted aboue oure strength that namely in the end of our life Eccle. 11. whē the tree where it falleth lieth stil as the preacher sayeth when euerye one causa sua dormit causa sua resurget for els before the end he suffereth hys somtime to fal but not finally to perysh as Peter sincked vpon the sea but yet was not drowned and synned greuously vpon the lande throughe infirmitie denying his Maister but yet found mercye for the ryghteous falleth oftentymes And Christs holy Apostles are taught to say remitte nobis debita nostra Yea thoughe the righteous fall saieth Dauid he shal not be cast away for the Lord vpholdeth hym wyth hys hande Oh the bottomlesse mercy of God toward vs miserable sinners He vouchsafe to plante in my harte true repentance and fayth to the obteyning of remission of al my synnes in the mercyes of God and merites of Christe hys sonne and therto I pray you say Amen Oh my hartely beloued it greueth me to see the spoyle hauocke the Saule maketh with the congregation of Christe but what remedye This is gods wil ordinance that his people shal here both be punished in the flesh tried in their fayth as it is writtē many are the troubles of the righteous but the lord deliuereth thē out of al for by a strait path narowe dore must we enter Whether Into the ioyful kingdome of heauē Therfore blessed are you other that suffer persecutiō for christs sake for the possessing of the same Pray for me my felowes good brother that we may fyght a good fyght that we may kepe the fayth and end our course with ioyful gladnes for now the tyme of our deliuerāce is at hand The lord guide defēd and kepe vs you al his people in our iourney that we may safely through a short death passe to that long lasting life Farewel my dere and louing brother fellow souldiour in Christ farewel I say in him who receaue our soules in peace when they shal depart frō these tabernacles and he graunt vs a ioyfull resurrection and a mery metyng at the last day and continuall dwelling together in hys eternall and heauenly kingdome through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Yours with my poore prayer other pleasure can I do you none Thomas Whittell minister To my deare brethren M. Filles and Cutbert MY dere and welbeloued brethren in Christ M. Filles and Cutbert I wish you al welfare of soule body Welfare to the soule is repentance of synne faythful affiance in christ Iesus a godly life Welfare to the body is the health of the same with al necessary things for this bodely life The soule of mā is immortal therfore ought to be wel kept lest immortalitie to ioy should turne to immortalitie of sorow As for the body be it neuer so wel kept much made of yet shortly by nature wil it perysh decay But those that are engraffed and incorporated into Christ by true fayth feeling the motion of Gods holy spirite as a pledge of their electition and enheritaunce excityng and stirring them not onelye to seke heauenly thyngs but also to hate vyce embrace vertue wyll not onely do those things but also if neede requyre wyll gladlye take vppe theyr crosse and followe theyr Captayne Mat. 26. Mar. 14 theyr Kynge and theyr Sauioure Iesus Christe as hys poore afflicted Churche of Englande nowe doth agaynste that false and Antichristian doctrine religiō nowe vsed and specially that blasphemous masse wherein christes supper and holy ordinaūce is altogether peruerted and abused contrary to his institution Luke 22. 2. Cor. 1◠and to Paules procedinges so that that whiche they haue in their Masse is neyther sacramēt of christ nor yet sacrifice for sinne as the priestes falsely pretende It is a sacrament that is as S. Augustine saith a visible signe of inuisible grace when it is ministred to the communicantes accordyng to christes example and as it was of late yeares in thys realme And as for sacrifice there is none to be made now for sinne Heb. 9.10 for Chryste with one sacrifice hath perfited for euer those that are sāctified Beware of false religion and mens vaine traditiōs and serue god wyth reuerence and godly feare accordyng to the doctryne of hys Gospel Luke i1 whereto cleane ye that ye maye be blessed though of wycked men ye be hated accursed Rather drinke of the cup of Christ wyth his church Apo. 18. then of the cup of that rose coloured whore of Babylon which is ful of abhominatiōs Rather striue ye to go to heauē by that path which is strayte to fleshe and bloud wyth the little flocke then to go the wyde way followyng the enticements of the worlde and the flesh which leadeth to damnation Lyke as Christ suffered in the flesh saith S. Peter pet 4.3 so arme ye yourselues with the same minde for Christe suffered for vs leauyng vs example to follow hys footesteppes Blessed are they that suffer for hys sake great is their reward in heauē He that ouercommeth saith S. Iohn shal eate of the tree of lyfe he shal haue a crowne of life Apoca. 2.3 and not be hurt of the second death he shall be clothed with white aray not be put out of the booke of life yea I wil confesse hys name sayth Christ before my father and before hys aungels he shal be a piller in the house of God and sit with me on my seate And thus I bydde you farewel mine owne bretherne and deare fellowes in Christ whose grace and peace be alwaye
letters to nor fro I coniectured that when the bishop and the Chauncellour had sene them it moued them the rather to haue me away being more desirous as I suppose to haue had me dispatched priuily in pryson thē to come opēly to my answer The maner of entreating vsing me at my first cōming to prison dyd partly declare the same Certayne sergeauntes Constables of Couentry beyng appointed to haue the conueying of vs to Lichfield to be deliuered there to one Iephcot the Chaūcellours man sent frō Couentry wyth vs for the same purpose we were commaunded to horsebacke aboute 11. or .12 of the clocke on Friday beyng market day that we myght be the more gased and wondred at And to kindle the peoples hartes more against vs they did proclayme a letter concerning a proclamation made for calling in and disanulling of al such bokes as truly expound interprete the scriptures We came to Lichfield about 4. of the clocke at nyght had leaue to repose our selues our supper tyme. We Inned at the signe of the Swanne where we were enterteyned frendly and gently After supper Iephcot repayred to vs whome we intreated that vpon sureties we myght rest our selues that nighte beyng vnprouided of any thyng to helpe our selues withal in the pryson at that present He was content at the fyrst as he semed but afterwards whether it was by persuasiō or rather as it semed to me he did but of pollicy put of the tyme till he had gathered a multitude to stare and wonder vpō vs and also that we should prouyde nothyng to ease our selues wythall he reuoked hys promise and so by consente we were hadde to the pryson the the multitude wonderyng at vs. I wylled Iephcot before to execute hys offyce wyth mercy tellyng hym that they shoulde haue iudgement wythout mercy that shewed no mercy And this mercy I founde at hys hand He put me into a pryson the same nyght where I continued vntyll I was condemned a place next to the doungel narrow of roumes strong of buildyng and very cold wyth small lyght and there alloweth he me a bundel of straw in stead of my bed wythout chaire forme or any thyng els to ease my selfe wythall God of his mercy gaue me great patience through prayer that nyghte so that if it had bene hys pleasure I could haue bene cōtented to haue ended my life But Iephcot and one Persey the bishops man whyche afterwardes was my continuall keper for the most part came to me in the mornyng to whome I said this is great extremity god send vs patience and no more Then they were content that I should haue a bedde of myne owne procurement But I was allowed no helpe neyther night nor day nor company of any man notwythstanding my great sicknesse nor yet paper penne or ynke or bookes sauing my new testament in Latine a prayer boke which I priuily stole in Within two daies after M. Chauncellour and one Temsey a prebendary there came to me into my prison M. Chauncellor exhorted me to conforme my selfe to my Lord and to the church He wished to my soule no more hurt thē to his owne belike because I had laid to hys charge at Couentry the sekyng of my bloode vniustly and wrongfully Now thus the second tyme I aunswered M. Chauncellour to hys exhortation that I refused not to be ruled by that church that was content to be ordered and gouerned by the worde of GOD. He asked me how I knewe the worde of God but by the churche The churche sheweth whiche is the word of god therfore the church is aboue the word of God This is no good reason in learnyng sayd I to Mayster Chaūcellor For it is like vnto this Iohn shewed the people who was Christ Ergo Iohn was aboue Christe Or els I haue a man that knoweth not the king and I tel him who is the kyng am I therfore aboue the kyng M. Chaūcellour said he came not to reason with me and so departed So remained I without any further conference of any man by the space of .8 dayes and tyll the bishops commyng in in the which tyme I gaue my self continually to prayer and meditation of the mercifull promises of god made vnto al wythout exception of person that cal vpon the name of his deare sonne Iesus Christ I found in my selfe daily amendment of health of body increase of peace in conscience and many consolatiōs from god by the help of his holy spirit sometymes as it were a tast and glymmering of the lyfe to come all for hys only sonne Iesus Christes sake to hym be all prayse for euer and euer Amen The enemy ceased not many tymes sundry waies to assault me oftētimes obiectyng to my consciēce mine own vnworthines through the greatnes of the benefite to be coūted among the number of them that should suffer for christ or his gospels sake Against hym I replyed wyth the word of God in thys sort what were all those whome God had chosen from the begynnyng to be hys witnesses and carye his name before the worlde Were they not men Act. 14. as Paule Barnabas said similiter obnoxii peccato aswel subiect to wickednes sinne imperfections as other men be Euen such were Noe Abraham Dauid and all the rest Rom. 11 Roma 4. Quis prior dedit illi as S Paule sayth Who gaue firste vnto him And also speaking to euery mā What hast thou that thou receiuedst not Likewise Iohn al haue receiued of his fulnes Iohn ◠they wer no bringers of any goodnes to god but altogether receyuers They chose not god first but he chose them They loued not god first but he loued thē first Yea he bothe loued and chose them when they were his enemies Roma 10. full of sinne and corruption and voyde of all goodnes Est dominus omniū diues in omnes super omnes inuocātes eū He is and wyl be stil the same god as riche in mercy as mighty as hable as redy as wyllyng to forgeue the synnes wythout respect of person to the worldes ende of all them that call vpon hym Prope est dominus omnibus inuocantibus eum God is nere he is at hād Psal 145. he is wyth all wyth al I say and refuseth none excepteth none that faithfully in true repentaunce cal vpon hym in what houre what place or what tyme soeuer it be It is no arrogancy nor presumption in any man to burthen god as it were wyth hys promise of duty to clayme and chalēge hys aide helpe and assistance in all our perils daungers and dystresse calling vpon him not in the confidence of our owne godlines but in the truste of hys promises made in Christ in whom and by whome and for whose sake whosoeuer boldly approcheth to the mercye seate of the father is sure to receyue whatsoeuer is expedient or necessary either for body or soule in more ample wayes and large manner
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
the present tyme appeareth not pleasaunt but payneful but afterward it rendreth the fruit of ryghtuousnes on them whiche are exercised in it Wherfore let vs be of good chere good brethren and let vs pluck vp our feble members that were fallen or began to fainte harte handes knees and all the rest and let vs walke vprighte and straighte that no lymping nor haultyng bryng vs out of the way Let vs looke not vpon the thinges that be presente but with the eyes of our fayth let vs stedfastlye beholde the thynges that bee euerlastyng in heauen and so choose rather in respect of that which is to come with the chosen members of Christ to beare christes crosse then for this short life time to enioy all the riches honors and pleasures of the broad world Why shoulde we christians ferre death Can death depryue vs of Christ which is all our comforte our ioye and our lyfe Nay forsothe But contrary deathe shall delyuer vs from thys mortall bodye whyche lodeth and beareth downe the Spirite 2. Cor 5. that it can not so well perceyue heauenly thinges in the whiche so long as we dwell we are absent from God Wherfore vnderstandyng oure state in that we be christians that yf our mortall bodye whiche is oure earthlye house were destroyed we haue a building 2. Cor. 5 a house not made wyth handes but euerlastyng in heauen c therefore we are of good cheare and knowe that when we are in the bodye we are absente from God for we walke by faythe and not by cleare syghte Neuerthelesse we are bolde and hadde rather be absent from the bodye and presente wyth God wherfore we stryue whether we be presente at home or absent abroad that we may always please hym And who that hath true faith in our sauiour Christ whereby he knoweth somewhat truly what Christ our Sauiour is that he is the eternal sonne of God lyfe lyght the wisdome of the father all goodnes al rightuousnesse and whatsoeuer is good that hart can desire yea infinite plēty of al these aboue that that mans hart can eyther conceyue or thynke for in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the godhead corporally and also that he is geuen vs of the father and made of God to be our wisdome 1. Cor. 1. our rightuousnes our holines and our redemptiō who I say is he that beleueth this in dede that would not gladly be with his maister Christ Phili. 1. Paule for this knowlege coueted to haue bene losed from the body and to haue bene with Christ for that be counted it much better for himselfe had rather to be losed than to liue Therfore these wordes of Christ to the thiefe on the crosse that asked of him mercy were full of comfort and solace this daye thou shalt be with me in paradise Luke 23. To dye in the defence of Christes gospell it is oure bounded duety to Christ and also to our neyghbor To Christ Rom. 9 1. Iohn 3. for he died for vs rose again the he might be lord ouer all And seyng he dyed for vs we also saieth S. Iohn shoulde ieopard yea geue our lyfe for our bretherne And this kynd of geuyng and losyng is gettyng and wynnyng in deede for he that geueth or loseth his lyfe thus getteth and wynneth it for euermore Apo. 14. Blessed are they therfore that die in the lorde and if they die in the Lordes cause they are most happy of all Let vs not then feare death which can do vs no harme otherwise than for a momēt to make the flesh to smart but that our faith which is surely fastened and fyxed vnto the worde of god telleth vs that we shall be anone after death in peace in the handes of god in ioy in solace and that from the death we shall go straight vnto life For S. Iohn saith Iohn 11. Iohn 5 he that liueth beleueth in me shal neuer dye And in an other place he shall depart from death vnto life And therfore this death of the christian is not to be called death but rather a gate or entraunce into euerlastynge life Therfore Paule calleth it but a dissolution and resolution and both Peter and Paule 2. Pet. 1. 2. Cor. 5 a puttyng of of this Tabernacle or dwelhouse meanyng thereby the mortal body as wherin the soule or spirit doth dwell here in thys world for a smal time Yea this death may be called to the christian an ende of all miseries For so long as we liue here Actes 14. we must passe through manye tribulations before we can enter into the kyngdome of heauen And now after that death hath shot hys bolt al the christian mans enemies haue done what they can and after that they haue no more to do What coulde hurte or harme poore Lazarus that lay at the ryche mans gate hys former penury and pouerty hys miserable beggerye and horryble sores and sycknes For so soone as deathe had stricken hym with his dart so sone came the angels Luke 16. caried him straight vp into Abrahams bosome What loste he by death who frō misery payne is set by the ministery of Aungels in a place both of ioye and solace Farewell deare brethren farewel and let vs comfort our hartes in all troubles and in death with the word of God for heauen and earth shall perishe but the word of the lorde endureth for euer Farewel christes dearely beloued spouse here wandring in this worlde as in a straunge land farre from thyn own countrey and compassed about on euery hande with deadly enemies which cease not to assaulte thee euer seekyng thy destruction Farewell farewell O ye the whole and vniuersall congregation of the chosen of god here lyuyng vpon earth the true churche militant of Christ the true mysticall bodye of Christ the very household and family of god and the sacred temple of the holy ghost Farewell Farewel O thou little flocke of the hygh heauenly pastor Christ Luke 12 for to thee it hath pleased the heauēly father to geue an euerlastyng and eternall kyngdome Farewell Farewell thou spirituall house of god thou holy and roi all priesthode thou chosen generation thou holye nation thou wonne spouse Fare wel Farewell N. R. ¶ This that followeth which he further wrote concerning his cruell handlyng in the scholes at Oxford also of the condēnation of him O. Cranmer M. Latymer c we would not here omitte though in order in should before haue bene placed next after the preface to his disputation Folio 78. KNow gentle Reader that maister Prollocutour dyd promyse me in the disputations publikely that I should see myne aunswers how they were collected and gathered of the Notaries and that I should haue licence to adde or diminishe to alter or chaunge afterwarde as I should thynke best would make for me to the aunsweryng of the propositions He promised moreouer publikely that I shoulde haue both tyme and
learned and wyse It is better to make answer before the pompe and pryde of wycked men then to stande naked in the syght of all heauen and earth before the iuste God at the latter daye I shal dye then by the handes of the cruell man he is blessed that looseth this life full of mortall miseries and fyndeth the lyfe full of eternal ioyes It is a griefe to depart from goods and frendes but yet not so much as to depart from grace and heauen it self Wherefore there is neither felicitye nor aduersitie of this world that can appeare to be greate if it be wayed with the ioyes or paynes in the worlde to come I can doe no more but praye for you doe the same for me for Gods sake For my parte I thanke the heauenly father I haue made myne accoūptes appointed my selfe vnto the wil of the heauenly father as he will so I will by his grace For gods sake as soone as ye can sende my poore wyfe and chyldren some letter from you and my letter also whiche I sente of late to Downton As it is tolde me she had neuer letter from me sith the comming of master S vnto her the more to blame the messengers for I haue written diuers times The lord comfort them and prouyde for them for I am able to do no thyng in worldly thinges She is a godly and wise womā if my meanynges had bene accomplished she should haue had necessary thinges but that I meant god can performe to whome I commend both her and you all I am a precious iewell now and deintely kepte neuer so deintely for neither mine own mā nor any of the seruaunts of the house may come at me but my keper alone a simple rude mā god knoweth But I am nothing careful thereof 21. Ianu. 1554. Yours bounden Iohn Hooper An other letter to certaine godly parsons wrytten to the same effecte THe grace of god be with you Amen I doe geue our heauenly father thankes that moueth you to remēber your afflicted brethern and I do as I am bound pray for you that wyth your remembraunce of me ye prouide helpe succour me with such goods as god doth endue you withall Doubtlesse yf euer wretch vyle synner was bounde vnto God I am most specially bound for these tenne monethes almost euer synce my imprisonmente I haue had no lyuyng nor goods to sustayne my self wythall yet such hath bene the fauoure of our heauenly father that I haue had sufficient to eate and drynke and the same payed for Seyng he is so mercifull and carefull for my synful body I doubt not but he hath more care of my wretched soule so that in bothe I may serue his maiesty and be a liuely and profitalbe mēber of hys poore afflicted church I do not care what extremity this world shal worke or deuise praying you in the bowels of hym that shedde his precious bloode for you to remember and folow the knowlege ye haue learned of his truthe Be not ashamed nor afrayde to follow hym beware of this sentence that it take no place in you Luke 9 no man sayeth Christ that putteth hys hand to the ploughe and looketh backewarde is meete for the kyngdome of God Remember that Chryste wylled hym that would builde a Tower to sytte downe fyrst and loke whether he were able to performe it leaste he should begin and leaue of in the myddest and so be mocked of hys neyghbors and lose therwythall asmuche as he bestowed Luke 14 Christe tolde suche as woulde builde in hym eternall lyfe what the price thereof was euen at the begynnyng of hys doctryne and sayde they shoulde be persecuted Math. 10. Also they shoulde sometyme paye and bestowe both goodes and landes before the Tower of saluation woulde be builded Seyng the pryce of truthe in religion hathe bene alwayes the displeasure and persecution of the worlde let vs beare it and Christ wil recompence the charges aboundantly Yt is no losse to lacke the loue of the worlde and to fynde the loue of God nor no harme to suffer the losse of worldly thinges and fynde eternall lyfe Yf man hate and god loue man kyll the body and god bryng both body and soule to eternall lyfe the exchange is good and profitable For the loue of God vse synglenes towardes hym beware of this folyshe and disceytfull collusion to thynke a man may serue god in spirite secretly to his conscience althoughe outwardly with his bodye and bodelye presence he cleaue for ciuyl order to such rytes and ceremonies as nowe be vsed contrarye to god and hys worde Be assured that whatsoeuer he be that geueth thys counsayle shal be before God hable to doe you no more profytte then the fygge leaues dyd vnto Adam 1. Cor. 6. Glorifye GOD bothe in your bodyes and in your spirites which are gods Take heede of that commaundement no man is able to dispense wyth it Such as be yet cleare and haue not bene presente at the wicked masse and idolatrous seruice let thē pray to god to stande fast such as for weakenes and feare haue bene at it repente and desyre god of forgeuenes and doubtles he wyll haue mercy vppon you It is a feareful thynge that many doe not a lonelye thus dissemble wyth God but also excuse and defende the dissimulation beware of that dere brethern for it is a sore matter to delite in euil things Prouer. 2 Let vs acknowledge and bewayle oure euyl then god shal sende grace to amend vs and strength better to beare his crosse I doubt not but ye wyll iudge of my wrytyng as I meane towardes you in my hearte which is doubtles your eternall saluation in Christe Iesus to whome I hartelye commende you 14. Iune 1554. To a merchaunte of London by whose meanes he had receyued much comfort in his greate necessity in the Fleete where how cruelly he was handled you shall see in the letter nexte followyng THe grace of god be with you Amen I thanke god and you for the great helpe and consolation I haue receiued in that tyme of aduersity by your charitable meanes but most reioice that you be not altered from truth although falshod truelly seketh to distayne her Iudge not my brother truth by outward appearance for truthe now worse appeareth more vily is reiected thē falshod Leaue the outward shew see by the word of god what truth is accept truth dislike her not though man call her falshode As it is now so hath it ben heretofore the truth reiected falshod receiued Suche as haue professed truthe for truthe haue smarted and the frendes of falsehode laughed them to scorne The tryall of both hath ben by contrary successe the one hauyng the cōmendation of truth by mā but the cōdemnatiō of falshode by god florishing for a time with endles destruction the other afflicted a litle season with immortal ioyes Wherfore dere brother aske demaūd of your
and by rested in ioyes euerlasting and as theyr paynes ended theyr sorowes and began ease so dyd their constancie and stedfastnes animate confyrme al good people in the truth and gaue them encouragement and lust to suffer the like rather then to fal with the worlde to consente vnto wickednes and Idolatrye Wherfore my deare frendes seyng god of hys part hath illuminated you with the same gyfte knowledge of true faith wherin the Apostles the Euangelists and all martyrs suffered most cruell deathe thanke him for hys grace in knowlege and pray vnto him for strength and perseuerance that through your owne faute you be not ashamed nor afearde to confesse it Ye be in the truthe and the gates of hell shall neuer preuayle against it nor Antichrist with al his Impes proue it to be false Thei may kil and persecute but neuer ouercome be of good comfort and feare more god then man This lyfe is short miserable happy be they that can spend it to the glory of god Pray for me as I do for you and commende me to all good men and women 22. December 1554. Your brother in Christ Iohn Hoper To one that was fallen from the knowen truth of the gospell to Antichriste and his damnable religion GRace mercy and peace of conscience be multiplied in all penitent heartes Amen Deare brother in Christ Iesus it is not long since I was informed what loue and serueÌ„t zeale ye haue heretofore born to gods true religion appearing as well by youre lyfe and conuersation as by absentynge your selfe from the Idolaters temple and congregation of false worshippers But now alas through the deuilishe perswasions and wycked counsayle of worldly men ye haue declined froÌ„ your former profession buildyng agayne that which before ye destroyed so are become a trespaser Gala. 2 2. Cor. 6. bearyng a strauÌ„gers yoke with the vnbeleuers Of whiche thing euer since I was informed I haue ben meruelously moued with inward affectioÌ„s muche lamenting so greate and sodayne a chaunge as to be turned from him that called you in the grace of Christ vnto the dissimulation of wicked hypocrites Gala. 1. which as S. Paule saith is nothing els but that there be some which trouble you inteÌ„ding to make you like as they are euen louers of them selues whose hartes are wedded to the perishing treasures of this world wherin is their whole ioy and felicity contrary to S. Iohn i. Iohn 2. which saieth see that ye loue not the worlde neither those things whiche are in the worlde But they as men without eares and hauing harts without vnderstanding do neither waigh the terrible threatninges of god against such offenders and the most woful punishment dewe for the same nor yet consider the louing admonitioÌ„ and calling of god who both teacheth how to auoid his wrath and also by what meanes to attain to saluation Wherfore dere brother I humbly beseche you euen by the mercifulnes of god and as you tender your owne saluation to geue eare no longer to their pestilent perswasioÌ„s but euen now forth with to repent and haue no longer felowship with the vnfruitful works of darknes Ephe. 5 Rom. 12 Iames. 4. Eph. 4. Apo. 2. neither fashion you your selfe again gain like vnto the world delight not in the frendship therof for all suche be made the enemies of god greue not any loÌ„ger the holy spirit of god by whom ye are sealed vnto the day of redemption Acknowlege your offence and from whence ye are fallen prostrate your self before god asking mercy for christs sake Mourne with Mary Magdalen lament wyth Dauid Math. 20. crye with Ionas and wepe with Peter and make no tarieng to turne to the lord whose pitiful eies attend alwais to wipe away the teares from euery troubled conscience Such is his entiere loue toward al those that turne vnto him EZechi 18 making them this swete promise confirmed by a mighty and vehement kind of speaking tell them as truely as I liue saith he I will not the death of a sinner but muche rather that he turne from his euil ways and liue Turne you turne you from your vngodlye waies O ye of the house of Israel O wherfore wil ye die Beholde ye are here forgeueÌ„ your sinne is blotted out and the most ioyful countenaunce of god turned again towards you What nowe remaineth Verely this that you from heÌ„ceforth kepe circuÌ„spect watch and become a follower of Christe sustaining for his names sake all such aduersities as shal be measured vnto you by the suffraunce of god our heauenly father who so careth for vs that not one heare of our head shal perish without his wil who also considering the tender and weake faith of his children not able as yet to stand against the force of Antichrists tyranny geueth them this louyng liberty when ye be persecuted in one citye fly to an other Math. â— O most tender compassion of Christ how careful is he ouer hys people who woulde not now rather then to offende so merciful a God flie this wicked realme as your most christian brother and many other haue done or els with boldnes of hart and patience of the spirit beare maÌ„fully the crosse eueÌ„ vnto the death as diuers of our brethreÌ„ haue don before vs as is declared at large in Paules epistle to the Heb. which I passe ouer and come to our sauior Christ whose exaÌ„ple for our singuler comfort S. Paule encourageth vs to folow sayeng let vs also Heb. 11 â–ª seing that we are coÌ„passed with so greate a multitude of witnesses lay away al that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth on and let vs runne with patience vnto the battaile that is set before vs loking vnto Iesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the ioyes that was set before him abode the crosse and despised the shame Heb. 12. and is set downe on the right hand of the throne of god c. From whence he shall come shortly saith S. Iohn and his rewardes with him Apo. 22. to geue euery man according as his dedes shal be Blessed are they that do his commaundements that their power may be in the tree of life and may enter in through the gates vnto the City where they sayth Esay shal haue their pleasure in the lord who wil cary them on high Esay 58. aboue the earth wil fede them with the heritage of Iacob their father for the lordes owne mouth hathe so promised Thus I haue bene bolde to write vnto you for christiaÌ„ loue sake that I beare to you whose saluation I wish as mine owne beseching god that your whole spirit soule and body may be kept fautlâ—s vnto the comming of our lord Iesus Christ Amen Your brother in Christ Iohn Hoper To the faithfull and liuely members of our sauiour Iesus Christ inhabityng the city of London grace and peace from the heauenly father through our lord Iesus Christ YOur
and transitorye Happye are we if we departe in the Lorde who graunte vnto you and to all your fellowe prysoners fayth and constancy Commend me to the moste reuerend fathers and holy confessors of Christe D. Cranmer Bishoppe of Caunterburye D. Rydley bishop of London and the good olde father D. Latymer Them and al the rest of the prisoners wyth you for the Lords cause salute in my name and in the name of all my fellowe Ministers the whiche do wyshe vnto you the grace of god and constancye in the truth Concernyng the state of our church it remayneth euen as it was when you departed from vs into your countrey God graunt we may be thankefull to hym and that we doe not onely professe the fayth wyth wordes but also expresse the same effectually wyth good workes to the prayse of our Lord. The worde of god increaseth daily in that part of Italye that is nere vnto vs and in Fraunce In the meane whyle the godly susteyne greuous persecutions and wyth great constancy and glory through torments they go vnto the Lord. I and all my household wyth my sonnes in lawe and kynsmen are in good health in the Lorde They doe all salute you and praye for your constancye beyng sorowfull for you and the rest of the prisoners There came vnto vs Englyshe men studentes both godlye and learned they be receaued of oure Magistrate Tenne of them dwell together the reast remaine here and there with good men Emonges the rest M. Thomas Leuer is deare vnto me and familiar If there be any thing wherin I may do any pleasure to your wife children they shall haue me wholy at cōmaundement Wherof I wil write also to your wife for I vnderstand she abideth at Franckford Be strong and mery in Christ waytyng for hys deliueraunce when and in what sorte it shall seme good vnto hym The Lorde Iesus shew pity vpon the realme of England and illuminate the same wyth his holy spirit to the glory of his name and the saluation of soules The Lorde Iesus preserue you and delyuer you from all euill with all them that call vpon his name Farewell and farewell eternally The 10. of October 1554. From Zurich You know the hand H. B. ⧠Certayne letters of Doctor Taylor parson of Hadley in Suffolke who by his death martyrdom there witnessed and confyrmed that doctrine which he had before most painfully and faithfullye taughte The 9. of February in the yere of our Lord. 1555. ¶ To my deare fathers and brethren D. Cranmer D. Rydley and D. Latymer prisoners in Oxforde for the faythfull testimonye of gods holye Gospell RYght reuerend fathers in the lord I wysh you to enioye continually gods grace and peace throughe Iesus Christ and God bee praysed agayne and agayne for thys your most excellēt promotiō which ye are called vnto at this presēt that is that ye are coūted worthy to be allowed amongest the nūber of Christs recordes and witnesses Many professe god ad ignem exclusiue that is in words outwarde profession but few stick to him ad ignem inclusiue that is in dede and in suffring for his sake England hath had but a few learned bishoppes that would sticke to Christ ad ignem inclusiue Once agayne I thanke God hartely in Christ for your most happy onset most valiant proceding most cōstant suffryng of al such infamyes hyssynges clappyngs taūtes open rebukes losse of lyuyng and liberty for the defence of gods cause truth and glorye I can not vtter wyth penne how I reioyce in my harte for you iij. such captaynes in the foreward vnder Christes crosse banner or standerd in such a cause and skyrmishe when not onely one or ij of our deare redemers strong holdes are besieged but all hys chiefe castels ordeyned for our safegard are trayterously impugned Thys your enterprise in the sight of all that he in heauen of all gods people in earth is most pleasant to behold This is an other manner of nobilitie then to be in the forefronte in worldly warrefares For gods sake praye for vs for we faile not daily to praye for you We are stronger and stronger in the lord hys name be praysed and we doubt not but ye be so in Christe owne sweete schole Heauen is all and wholy of our syde therefore Gaudete in domino semper et iterum gaudete et exultate Your assured in Christ Rowland Taylor ¶ To a frende of his whiche was desyrous to know the talke that was betwixt him and the Quenes commissioners at the tyme of hys examination WHeras you would haue me to wryte the talk betwene the king and Quenes most honourable councel and me on Tuesday the xxij of Ianuar. this so farre as I remēber was the effect therof Fyrst my lord Chaūcellor said you amōg other are at this tyme sent for to enioy the Kynges and Quenes maiesties fauour and mercy if you wyll now ryse agayne with vs from the fall which we generally haue receiued in this Realme from the which god be praysed we are now clearely deliuered miraculously If you will not ryse wyth vs now and receyue mercy now offered you shall haue iudgement accordyng to youre demerites To this I aunswered that so to rise shoulde be the greatest fall that euer I coulde receiue for I shoulde so fall from my deare sauiour Christ to Antichriste For I doe beleue that the Religion set forth in Kyng Edwardes dayes was accordyng to the veyne of the holy Scripture whiche conteineth fully all the rules of our christian religion from the which I do not intende to decline so long as I liue by gods grace Then maister Secretary Bourne sayd whiche of the religions meane you of in kyng Edwardes dais for you know there were dyuers bokes of religion set forth in hys dayes There was a religion set forth in a Cathechisme by my Lord of Caunterburye do you meane that you will sticke to that I aunswered my lord of Caunterbury made a Catechisme to be translated into Englishe whiche booke was not of his owne makyng yet he set it forth in his own name and truely that booke for the tyme dyd much good but there was after that set forth by the most innocent king Edwarde for whō god be praysed euerlastingly the whole churche Seruice set forthe wyth greate deliberation and the aduise of the best learned men of the realme and authorised by the whole Parliament and receiued and published gladly by the whole realme which booke was neuer reformed but once and yet by that one reformation it was so fully perfited accordyng to the rules of our religion in euerye behalfe that no christian conscience coulde be offended with any thyng therin conteyned I meane of that booke refourmed Then my lord Chauncellour saide diddest thou neuer read the booke that I set forthe of the Sacrament I aunaunswered that I had redde it Then he sayde howe likest thou that boke With that one of the Councel whose name I
and at Couentrie by gods prouidence no doubt to confirme that he had in that countrey also fruitfully taught suffred with most valiant and chereful courage as ye may read in the boke of marters Fol. 1048. The .8 day of Febr. In the yere of our Lord. 1555. ¶ To my most deare and reuerend fathers in Christ D. Cranmer D. Rydley and D. Latimer prisoners in Oxforde IN my most humble wyse I salute you moste reuerend Fathers in Christ Iesus our Lord. Immortall thankes euerlasting prayses be geuē vnto that our father of mercies Collo 1. which hath made vs mete to be pertakers of the inheritaunce of saintes in light which hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his beloued sonne by whom we haue redemption through his bloud c. Oh most happie estate Collo 3. that in an vnspeakeable wise our life is hid with Christ in God but whensoeuer Christ which is our life shall shewe hymselfe then shall we also appeare with him in glory 1. Cor. i3 2. Cor. 5. In the meane seasō as our sight is but in a glasse euē in a darke speaking so we walke in fayth not after outwarde appearaunce The which fayth although for want of outward appearaunce reason reputeth but as vaine yet the chosen of God do know the effect therof to bring a more substantiall cast liuely fruition of very felicitie and perfect blessednes then reasō can reache or senses conceaue By this fayth we haue in our professiō all good things yea euen those which the eye hath not sene the eare hath not heard 1. Cor. 2. neyther haue entred into the hart of man c. Then if hereby we do enioy al good things it followeth that we must nedes possesse haue and inioy you most reuerend fathers who be no small part of our ioy good things geuen vs of God We heretofore haue had the fruitiō of you by bodily presence to our inexplicable benefite praysed be that our gracious God therfore and now in spirit we haue the experience of vnspeakeable cōfort by your reuerend fatherhodes Math. 5. for that in this so glorious sort ye become a towne set vpon a hill a candle vpon a Candlesticke 1. Cor. 4. Phi. 1. a spectacle vnto the world to the Angels and vnto men So that as we to our great comfort do fele ye also maye assuredly say with S. Paule that the thyngs which happē vnto vs do chaūce vnto the great furtherance of the Gospel so that our bondes in Christ are manifest not only throughout al the iudgement hal but in all whole Europa in so much that many of the brethren in the Lord being encouraged through our bondes dare more boldlye speake the woord without feare And herein as you haue with S. Paule greatly to reioyce so we do reioyce with you we do in dede with you geue thankes for this excellent worthy fauour of our God towards you that Christ is thus magnifyed in you yea and hereafter shal be magnifyed in your bodyes whether it be through life or death Of whiche thing truely we are assured in our prayers for you and ministring of the spirite And although for your owne partes Christ is vnto you life and death aduantage and that your desire is as in dede it were better for you to be loosed Phil. 1. and to be with Christ yet for the church of Christ were it muche more necessary that ye should abide in the flesh Yea that merciful god euen for his Christs sake graūt that ye may abide continue for the furtheraunce of the churche reioysyng of fayth that the reioycing thereof may be the more aboundaūt through Iesus Christ by your restoring again Amen Amen But if it seme better otherwise vnto the diuine wisedome that by spedy death he hath appoynted you to gloryfye him the Lordes wil be done Yea euen as we do reioyce both on your behalfes also on our own that god is magnifyed by lyfe should be more aboundauntlye glad for the continuaunce therof so we shall no lesse reioyce to haue the same wrought by death We shall geue thankes for thys honour geuē vnto you phi 1. reioycing that ye are accompted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ that it is geuen to you of god not only that ye should beleue in him but also that ye should suffer for his sake And herein we shal haue to reioyce in the be halfe of the church of Christ whose fayth may be the faster fixed vpō gods veritie being cōfyrmed with three such worthy witnesses Oh thanks be to god for thys hys vnspeakeable gift And now moste reuerend fathers that ye may vnderstande the truth of vs and oure estate how we stand in the Lorde I doe assure your reuerences partlye by that I perceaue by suche of oure brethren as bee here in bondes with me partly by that I heare of them which be in other places and partly by that inward experience which I most vnworthy wretch haue of Gods good comfort more abundaunce wherof I know there is in others ye may be assured I say by gods grace that ye shall not bee frustrate of your hope of our cōstant continuaunce in the chereful confession of Gods euerlasting veritie Ephe. i. For euen as we haue receaued the word of truth euen the Gospell of our saluation wherin we beleuing are sealed with the holy spirite of promyse which is the earnest of our enheritaunce Rom. 8 the whiche spirite certifyeth our spirit that we are the children of God and therefore God hath sent the spirite of his Sonne into oure heartes crying Abba father Gal. 4. so after suche portion as God measureth vnto vs we with the whole churche of Christ and with you reuerend Fathers receauing the same spirit of fayth according as it is written I beleued therefore I haue spoken we also beleue and therfore speake 2. Cor. 4. Psa 116. For the which we in this daungerous bondage and other afflictions hauing euen such a fyght as we haue sene in you and haue heard of you phil 1. we are in no wyse affrayde of our aduersaryes And forasmuch as we haue such an offyce euen as God hath had mercy on vs we go not out of kinde but euē with you after our litle power we labour to mainteyne the faith of the gospel knowing most certainly 2. Cor. 4. that though we haue this treasure in earthē vessels that the excellency of the power might be gods not ours yet shal we not be dashed in peeces for the lord wil put his hād vnder vs. When we are troubled on euery side yet are we not wtout shift when we are in pouerty we are not vtterly without somthing when we suffer persecution we are not forsaken therin when we are cast down yet we shal not perish but to communicate with
due vnto those his people Wherfore let vs faythfully confesse that we haue offended wyth oure forefathers The which beyng done in our conuersion vnto the Lord our God wyth our whole heart Psal 89. let vs assure our selues that euen as he hath and doth visite our synnes with this captiuity of body and cōscience and such other plagues beyng his rodde of chastisement so hath he not taken away his mercy from vs but wyll plentifully visite vs wyth the same euen for that couenaunt of mercy made vnto vs not in Abraham Isaac and Dauid but in that promysed sede of Abraham in that spiritual Dauid euē Iesus Christ who is that peaceable Salomon makyng peace betwen vs and his Father by the offeryng of hys bodye and sheedyng of hys bloude by whose meanes we must looke for the gilt of our synnes to bee forgeuen and the plagues thereby purchased to be taken away And now dearly beloued we be taught by that heauenly spirit which our god hath geuen vnto vs to seke comfort in these tymes of affliction not in hope of rebellion or fulfillyng vnprofitable yea pestilent welshe prophecies but in the most comfortable glad tidings of the heauenly promises assured in his deare Christ And touchyng this most miserable estate of the ghostly captiuity of conscience and bodely bondage wherin for our synnes presently we be holden let vs fyrst most obediently kysse this rodde of our father by obedience submission to abide al extremity that man may do vnto vs rather then to forgoe faythe and a good conscience Lette vs also beseche our heauenly father for his christes sake to leaue of beating vs and to take awaye the rodde eyther by conuertyng the hartes of those whiche afflicte persecute vs for so dyd he somtyme take away the rodde as namely by conuertyng of Nabuchodonozer Manasses or els if such wycked scourges be not to be cōuerted but be reprobates vessels of gods wrath chyldren of perdition suche vpon whome it pleaseth god to shewe hys iudgementees and in whom he will shew hys power If I saye they be suche let vs wyshe most earnestly that our God wyll spedely aryse that hys and our enemies may shortelye be scattered Yea he knoweth what these execrable erecters of the Romyshe religion are They be the proude builders of the Babilonicall Tower They wyll clyme vppe into Gods kyngdome by theyr owne attempts not expectyng waiting for Gods helpe Yea that lord be iudge betwixt them vs. He knoweth that as theyr buildinges tende vnto the destruction of that true onelye foundation Christ so our buildyng by Gods woorde hathe and dothe tende to the substantiall laying of that only foundation and to the establyshyng of Christes chosen church vpon that same rocke wyth an vnfayned fayth and pure conscience also vnto the building vpon the same faith al fruitfull workes of the Spirite to serue GOD in holines and ryghteousnes c. Tit. 2. Yea that euer lyuyng Lord knoweth the earneste desyre of our hartes is euen the greedy expectation of the glorious commyng of that greate iudge vnto whose iudgemente loe heauen and earthe bee witnes and ye Gods Saynctes we doe appeale in the meane season abidyng our Gods good pleasure to doe wyth vs that may moste redounde vnto hys glorye whether to lyue or dye nothyng doubtyng in hym to be strengthened merely and chearefully to make a sacrifyce and burnte offeryng for the confirmation of thys infallible veritye taughte by vs and once receiued of you And ioyne with vs deare fellowe heires as we ioyne with you in humble prayer that euen as all we be by saithe handfasted vnto our husband and knytte vnto our heade Iesu Christe and also be kyndled by loue one to an other as mutual members in this mysticall body so we may perseuere and continue vnto the ende and that by and in our Christ we may encrease more and abound in the spirite of grace and prayer wherby to fetche all heauenly influence from that our heade Christe one for an other euen as in the bodye one member mynistreth vnto an other Amen Amen In the Marshalsee 17. Octob. 1554. A prisoner in the Lord trustyng shortly to be with the Lord. L. Saunders ¶ To maystres Lucye Harryngton a godly gentlewoman and frendly in hys trouble to hym and his YOur most gentle commendations wherof this messenger made remēbrance vnto me was for two causes very cōfortable Fyrst for that thereby I vnderstoode of the stare of your health and bodely welfare for the which I geue thankes vnto GOD who graunte the long continuāce therof to his honour and fatherly good wil wherunto I will daily saye Amē And father I was refreshed by the expressing of your myndful frendship towards me far vnworthy therof Wherin I take occasion of muche reioysing in oure so gratious a god and mercifull father who as he hath in hys vnmesurable mercy by fayth handfasted vs hys chosen children vnto hys deare sonne our Christ as the spirituall spouse of suche an heauenly husband so he lynketh vs by loue one vnto another beyng by that bonde compacte together with charitable readines to do good one vnto an other so that fyrste to the glory of our god and his christ then to our owne ioying in the testimony of a good conscience and laste of all to the stoppyng of the mouthes and confusion of our aduersaries we beare the badge as the right spouse of our Christ which he hymselfe noteth in this hys sayeng Iohn 13. herein shall all men know that ye be my disciples if ye loue one an other Then farther by thys bonde of mutual loue is set forth the fatherly prouidence of god towardes vs his children that though it be he which careth for vs in whom we lyue moue and be who feedeth all flesh with bodely sustenaunce yet hathe he apointed vs in these present necessities to stand in his stede one vnto an other Wherin is not only set forth our dignitye but also that vnspeakable accorde and vnity among vs the many members in thys mysticall body And thoughe that eyther for lacke of hability or els throughe distaunce of place power and oportunitie of helpyng one another doe fayle yet wonderfull is the workyng of gods childrē through the spirite of prayer as wherby they fetch all heauenly influence from Christe their celestiall heade by hys spirite Iohn 15 to be measured seuerally as may serue to the mayntenance of the whole body Thus doth our faithful prayer which we make one for an other distribute and scatter gods bountifull blessynges both ghostly and bodelye when ordinarye habilitye lacketh and when the arme may not reach such gods riches According hereunto I wel perceaue and vnderstande your readynesse to do good vnto all and especially I haue experience of your readye good will towards me in your hartie desire to stretch out your helpyng hand to releue my lacke and of your helpe to be extended to me
downe to hel and fetcheth vp agayne Praysed be that Lord for euer yea praysed be hys name for that he hath geuen me true experience and liuely feling of the same Blessed be the lord god whose mercy endureth for euer whiche hath not dealt with me according to my deepe desertes nor destroyed me in hys dyspleasure when I had iustly deserued it Oh what rewarde shal I geue agayne vnto the Lorde for all the great benefites that he hath done for my soule I will gladlye receyue the cup of saluation at his hande and will worshippe his name with prayer and with prayse Ah my deare hart yea most deare vnto me in the lord thynke not this sodaine chaunge in me to be some fickle phātasy of my folish head as in dede some other would surelye suspect it to be for doutles it is the meruelous doynge of the Lord most mercifull vnto me hys vnworthye creature God for his great mercy sake geue me grace to be more than full vnto him then I heretofore haue ben and kepe me that I neuer fall forth of hys fauour agayne And now my deare brother most blessed messenger of the lord whose beautifull feete haue brought much glad tydings vnto my soule what shall I do or say vnto you in the leaste parte to recompence your fatherly affection and godly care that you continually kepe for me Oh that god would geue me the spirite of feruent prayer that I might yet that waye supplye some little part of my duty toward you Ah my true louyng frend how sone did you lay aside all other busines to make a swete plaister for my wounded conscience yea and that out of a painfull payre of stockes which place must nedes be vneasye to wryte in But god hath brought you into a strait place that you might set my soule at libertye Out of your pynchyng payneful seat you haue plentifully powred vpon me your precious narde the swete sauour wherof hath greatly refreshed my tired soule The lord likewyse refresh you both bodye and soule by powring the oyle of his gratious Spirite into yours swete hart Ah good Ieremy Ieremy 20 hath Phasure put thee in the stockes Why now thou hast the ryghte rewarde of a prophet Thy glory neuer began to appeare vntil now I dout not but shortly in stede of Ahikam the sonne of Saphan Ieremy 26 Iesus the sonne of the liuyng god will come and deliuer thee forth of the hands of all thine enemies wil also make good against thē the Antichristian Sinagoge al the wordes that thou hast spoken in hys name Ieremy 1. The lord hath made thee this day a strong defēded Tower an iron pyller and a brasen wall against the whole rable of Antichrist and though they fyghte against thee neuer so fiercely Ieremy 15. yet shall they not ouercome thee for the Lord himselfe is with thee to helpe and delyuer thee and he will ridde thee out of the handes of the wycked wyll delyuer thee out of the hands of the tyrānes And in that you are not busy in casting pearles before swine Math. 7 nor in geuing holy things vnto dogs you are much to be commended in my simple iudgement And sure I am that your circumspect and modest behauiour hytherto hath bene as much to gods glory confusion of your enemies as any mans doinges that are gone before you Wherfore myne aduise most earnest desyre is wyth all other of your louyng frendes that you styll keepe that order with those bloodthursty byshoppes that you haue begonne For though in conclusion they wyll surely haue your blood yet shall they come by it wyth shame enough and to their perpetuall infamy whiles the world doth indure They would in dede condemne you in hugger mugger to darken gods glory if it might be but Sathans thoughtes are not vnknowen to you and the depthe of hys subtiliy is by you wel foreseene Therfore let them do whatsoeuer god shall suffer them to do for I know al thynges shall turne to your best Though you lye in the darke storryed wyth the bishoppes blacke cole dust yet shall you shortly be restored to the heauenly light psal 68 and made as whyte as snowe in Salmon and as the wyngs of a Doue that is couered wyth siluer wings and her fethers lyke golde You knowe the vessell before it is made bright is soyled wyth oyle and other thinges that it may scoure the better Oh happy be you that you be nowe in the scouryng house for shortly you shall be set vpon the celestial shelfe as bryght as aungels Therefore my deare harte I wyll nowe accordyng to your louyng requeste caste awaye all care and reioyse wyth you and prayse GOD for you and praye for you day and nighte Yea I will nowe with Gods grace synge psalmes of prayse and thankesgeuyng with you for nowe my soule is turned into her olde rest agayne and hath taken a swete nappe in Christes lappe I haue cast my care vpon the Lorde which careth for me and wyll be Careles accordyng to my name in that respecte whiche you woulde haue me I wyll leaue out my vnsemely addition as long as I lyue for it can take no place where true faythe and hope is residente So soone as I had red your most godly and comfortable letter my sorrowes vanished away as smoke in the wynde my spirite reuiued and comfort came agayne wherby I am sure the spirite of god was author of it Oh good maister Philpot which art a pryncipall potte in dede sylled with most precious lycour as it apeareth by the prenceous powryng forthe of the fame oh pot most happy of the high potter ordayned to honour whiche doest contayne such heauenlye treasure in thy earthen vessell oh potte chryse happy in whom Christ hath wrought a great myracle altering thy nature and turnyng water into wyne and that of the best whereout the maister of the feast hath fylled my cup so full that I am become dronken in ioy of the spirite through the same when Martyrdome shall breake thee O vessell of honour I knowe the fragraunce sauoure of thy precious narde wyll much reioyce the heauy hartes of Christes true members although the Indasses wyll grudge murmure at the same yea and burst out into wordes of slaunder saping it is but lost and waste Be not offended deare harte at my Metaphoricall speache for I am disposed to bee merye and with Dauid to daunce before the Arke of the Lord and though you play vpō a payre of Organes not very comely or easy to the flesh yet the swete sound that came from the same causeth me thus to do O that I were with you in body as presently I am in spirite that I might syng all care awaye in Christe for now the tyme of comforte is come I hope to be wyth you shortlye if all thinges happen arighte for my olde frendes of Couentrye haue put the Counsell in
like to be no lesse thā your lyfe for I beleue as Paul sayth that god hath appoynted vs in these latter daies lyke shepe to the slaughter Rom. 8 Antichrist is come agayne and he must make a feast to Beelzebub his father of many Christiā bodyes for the restoring againe of his kingdome let vs watche and pray that the same daye maye not fynde vs vnredy The peace of god be with you and remaine with you for euer Your louing brother in Christ in spirit your familier frende captiue in the Kynges Benche Iohn Philpot. To my dearely beloued Sister in the Lord Maistres Heath THe lyght of the Gospel of Christ which hath illigthned you with the true vnderstanding of fayth be dayly encreased in you my dearly beloued sister vnto the perfyte day of the Lord through the mighty operation of hys spirite Amen Where as you haue required of me a token at your departyng that myghte be a remembraunce with you of my brotherly loue toward you I mused of diuerse things what I might cōmend vnto you best among al other I found none so certayne a token either of the loue of God toward vs or els of the loue of vs one to an other as to beare the crosse together with Christ To beare the crosse is to be partaker of the afflictions of Christ which now he suffreth in his members for the accomplishmente of his body the church which are we that beleue in him sincerely which is the surest token of Gods loue towards vs that we can haue in thys world for whom god loueth he chasteneth and as it is written Heb. 12 he chasteneth euery sonne whō he receaueth Wherfore aboue all things loue the crosse of Christ vnder the which al the church of Christ in England nowe is be content to haue your fayth tried euery daye by some crosse or other as it pleaseth God to put on you and if God putteth no greuous crosse vppon you let your brethrens crosse be your crosse whiche is a certayn token of true brotherly loue If the church in England had learned with the Gospel to haue borne the crosse of Christ as all that be professours of the Gospel be called thereunto they woulde not so lightly at the commaundement of man haue turned from the wayes of saluation to their old vomite againe contrary to their conscience and al to auoide the crosse the mercifull signe of Gods loue towards vs. If the crosse were not the faythfull could not be knowen If the crosse were not God should not so manifestly appeare to be our deliuerer and cōforter as he doth shewe himselfe in the middest therof vnto al thē that put their trust in him Therfore beleue them verely to be in most happie estate that be vnder the crosse such as doe vtterly abhorre the same are cowards not fytte souldiers for the lord We haue al receaued the credit of faith from god in Christ that we should beautifie the same or rather god in the same 1. Cor. 4. We haue this treasure in brittel vessels let vs take hede that the britelnes of the vessels shee de not out our precious treasure on the earth as it is lamentable to see at this day many haue most vnfaythfully done Are they worthy of the heauenly kingdome which here esteeme more earth then heauen O palpable infidelity Wil not god require the credit of fayth which he hath committed vnto vs Yea verely Is thys the vsury of fayth to loue the world more then the Gospel and to feare mā more then god If men which coūt themselues stronger worthyer vessels haue thus vnfaythfully dealt in the thinges of god let the weakenes of womē be more fyrme in their fayth to the glory of God whose might appeareth in weakenes There is no exceptiō of person before god both man and woman be on in god and that persō in al sortes of people is acceptable to him that striueth to do hys will Wherfore contend in these crosse dayes whiche be the loue dayes of god towardes vs to shew your self faythful to him that calleth you and to be redy to do his will according to true knowledge and that vnder the crosse God hath geuen you a faythful guide whom see you loue with al humilitie pacience and obedience as it becommeth a holy woman to be subiect to her faythful head in the Lord comfort him in our common crosse and bid him cherefully take vp the one end and you will beare the other a double string knit together As you in your godly matrimonye do represent the mysterye of Christ and his churche so continue you liuely members of fayth in the same and learne daily more and more to beare the crosse of Christ that other seing your strength may be comforted and be ashamed of their weakenes in their maisters cause The faythful seruaunt the Lord loueth which bringeth his talent to his table with encrease Now is the time to encrease to the lord and not to decrease to multiply our fayth vnder the crosse not to diminysh it Ose 6 Gene. 9. The waies of the iust do encrease as the dauning of the day Embrace therfore the crosse as the raynebow of gods merciful couenaunt pray that we may together end our course therin with ioy Take my token in good worth vntil we be made partakers of the glory of the crosse Out of my Lorde of Londons Colehouse The .xi. of Nouember Yours Iohn Philpot. To my brother Iohn Careles prisoner in the Kinges Benche THe grace of God the father through his deare sonne Christ our Sauiour with perseuerance in all godly verity be with thee my deare brother Careles and with al my prison fellowes Amen Ah my own loue in Christ These were certeyne free-wil mē arrogant frowerd and vnquiet spirites I am sory to heare of thy great trouble which these shismatiks do daily put thee to I wold I were with thee in part to releue thy greefe but since that it hath pleased God otherwise take my aduice in thys your conflict be pacient what soeuer your aduersaryes can saye or do against you Know that you are appoynted for the defence of the gospel for the which you god be praysed do suffer yet you must vnderstand that you are but a voyce in the wildernes a planter that it is god which must geue the encease And therefore if there come not suche fruite of your good labours as you would wyshe be content know that a stony groūd can not fructifye yet shal not god forget your labour but you shal reape as plētiously in the day of reward as though it had encreased after your expectatiō Haue patience therfore in your labour and let not care eate out your hart Committe the successe to God and cease not with charitye to be earnest in the defence of the truth agaynste these arrogant and self will blynded scatterers These sectes are necessary for the
was alowed therein Bee not deceyued good Syster wyth the perswasible wordes of man neyther be afrayd of his threates Followe the Gospell of Christe accordynge to true knowledge and feare to doe that whyche by the same is straightlye forbydden you Tempte not GOD anye longer by thys euyll doynge for you can doe nothynge more haynous in hys syghte Lette thys haltyng bee healed vppe and turne not from the ryghte wayes of the Lord. Be not ashamed of his gospel neither of the crosse which is the badge of the true and vnfayned professons therof whyche you see now hys faythefull praised be his name therfore are so wel content and wyllyng to beare but rather as you are called take vppe your crosse and be assured thereby to enter into Christes glorye for onlesse we suffer wyth hym we shall not raygne wyth hym and yf we dye not with Christ we shall not lyue wyth Christe The crosse nowe is the redye way to heauen therfore I wish you should choose to be afflitted with the people of god rather then to liue in the tabernacles of the wicked Do not any more that whych of all thynges ye haue now most cause to repent neyther lay daily the foundation of repentance but let this fal be a teaching vnto you of the wante of faythe whyche is in you and so become more feruente in prayer and godlye exercises that wyth thys newe yeare ye maye become a newe woman in a godlye and newe perfection the whyche GOD for hys mercies sake in Christ worke bothe in you and me to the ende Amen VVritten in hast by your brother in captiuity Iohn Philpot. ¶ To a faythful woman and late wyfe to one of the bishops which gaue theyr liues in the Lordes quarell REmember deare Syster that your lyfe in this world is a continual warfare to fight against the world the flesh and the deuil in the which you are apointed for the tryal of your faith loue to godt to fight manfully to ouercom for the spirit of god which is in you is strōger thē he which is in the world by this you may know that you are the child of god euen by the spirit which striueth in you against the flesh sinne wil not suffer sinne to raigne in you This spirit is obtained by often and daylye readynge and hearynge the woorde of GOD ioyned with faithful and hartye prayer for diligent readyng of Gods worde planteth the holy spyryte in you and earneste prayer encreaseth the same Reade therefore the worde studiouslye and praye hartelye that the same good gyfte of faythe whiche you haue learned of youre faythefull husbande and good bishop in the Lorde who hath gloriouslye yelded hys lyfe for the same maye be confyrmed in you euen vnto deathe that you may receyue the same crowne of glorye whiche he nowe hathe for precious is the deathe of the faythfull in the Lordes syghte therefore desire still to dye to the Lorde and be glad to be poore both in bodye and spirit and thus assure your selfe the kyngdō of heauen is yours Your owne in the Lord Iohn Philpot. ⧠Letters of Maister Iohn Bradforde a faythfull Minister and a synguler pyller of Christes churche by whose greate trauailes and diligence in preaching and plāting the syncerity of the gospel by whose most godly and innocent lyfe and by whose long and payneful imprisonments for the maintenance of the truth the kyngdom of god was not a litle aduaūced who also at last most valiātly cherefully gaue his blood for the same The .4 day of Iuly In the yere of our Lord. 1553. ¶ To all that professe the gospell and true doctryne of our Lorde and Sauioure Iesus Christe in the City of London Iohn Bradford a most vnworthy seruaunt of the Lorde now not only in prison but also excommunicated and condemned to be burned for the same true doctrine wysheth mercy grace and peace wyth encrease of all godly knowledge from God the father of mercy through the merites of oure alone and omnisufficient redemer Iesus Christ by the operation of his holy spirite for euer Amen MY dearely beloued brethren in our sauiour Christ althoughe the tyme I haue to lyue is very little for hourely I looke when I shoulde be had hence to bee conueyed into Lankeshyre there to bee burned and to render my lyfe by the prouidence of God where I fyrst receyued it by the same prouidence and althoughe the charge is great to kepe me from all thyngs wherby I might sygnify any thyng to the world of my state yet hauyng as now I haue pen ynke through gods workyng manger the head of Sathan and his souldiours I thought good to write a short cōfession of my faith and therto ioyne a little exhortation vnto you all to lyue according to your profession This my faith I would gladly particularly declare and expound to the confirmation and comfort of the simple but alas by startes and stelth I wryte in maner that that I write and therefore I shal desyre you al to take this breuitye in good part First for my faith I do confesse and praye all the whole congregatiō of Christ to bear witnes with me of the same that I do beleue constantly through the gift and goodnes of god for faith is gods only gift al the xij articles of the symbole or crede commenly attributed to the collection of the Apostles not bicause of the crede it selfe but bicause of the worde of god the which teacheth and confyrmeth euery article accordyngly This word of god writtē by the prophets and Apostles left and conteined in the canonical bookes of the holy Bible I do beleue to conteyne plētifully al things necessarye to saluation so that nothyng as necessary to saluation ought to be added therto and therfore the church of Christ nor none of hys congregation ought to be burdened with any other doctrine then which here out hath her foundation and grounde In testimony of which fayth I render and geue my life beyng condemned as wel for not acknowledging the Antichrist of Rome to be christs Vicar general and supreme head of hys catholike vniuersall church here and els where vpon earthe as for denying the horrible and idolatrous doctrine of transubstantiation and christes real corporall carnal presence in his supper vnder the formes and accidentes of bread and wyne To beleue Christ our sauiout to bee the heade of hys churche and kinges in their realmes to be the supreme powers to whome euerye soule oweth obedience and to beleue that in the supper of Christe which the sacrament of the aultar as the papistes cal it and vse it dothe vtterlye ouerthrowe is a true and a very presence of whole Christe god and man to the faythe of the receauer but not to the stander by and loker vpon as it is a true and a very presence of breade and wyne to the senses of men to beleue this I say wyl not serue and therfore
you can then shall you beyng assured I say of gods fauour towards you geue ouer your self wholye to helpe and care for others that be in neede then shall you contempne this life and desyre to be at home with your good and sweete father then shall you labour to mortify all thynges that woulde spot eyther soule or bodye All these thynges spryng out of thys certayne perswasion and fayth that god is our father and we are hys children by Christe Iesus All thynges should helpe our fayth herein but Sathan goeth about in all thynges to hynder vs. Therfore let vs vse earnest and harty prayer Let vs oftē remember this couenaunt I am the Lorde thy god let vs looke vpon Christe and his precious bloud shed for the obsignation and confyrmation of this couenant Let vs remember all the free promises of the gospell let vs set before vs gods benefites generallie in making this worlde in ruling it in gouernyng it in calling and keping his church c. Let vs set before vs gods benefites perticulerly how he hath made vs creatures after his image howe he hath made vs of perfecte limmes forme beautie memorye c howe he hath made vs Christians and geuen vs a right iudgement in hys religion howe he hath euer sithen we were borne blessed kept nouryshed and defended vs how he hath often beaten chastised and fatherly corrected vs how he hath spared vs and doth nowe spare vs geuing vs time space place grace Thys if you do and vse earnest prayer and so flye from all thynges whiche might wound your conscience geuing your self to diligence in your vocation you shall finde at the length that whiche god graunte to me with you a sure certaintye of saluation without all such doubt as may trouble the peace of conscience to your eternall ioy and comfort Amen Amen Yours to vse in Christ Iohn Bradford An other letter full of Godly comforte written to the same person THe good spirite of God whiche guideth hys children bee with you my good sister in the Lord for euer Amen Althoughe as I to you so you vnto me in person are vnknowen yet to hym whom we desire to please we are not onely in persons but also in harts knowē throughly sene And therfore as for his sake you wold by that you sent of me be perceaued how that in God you beare to me a good will so that I to you myght be sene in God to beare you the lyke I sende to you these fewe woordes in writinge wyshing that in all youre doinges and speache yea euen in your very thoughtes you woulde laboure to feele that they are all presente and open before the syghte of GOD be they good or badde Thys cogitation oftē had in mind and prayer made to god for the working of his spirit thereby as a meane you shall at the lēgth fele more comfort cōmodity thē any man can know but such as be exercised therin Howbeit this is to be added that in thinking your self al that you haue doe to be in the sight of god this I say is to be added that you thinke his sihht is the sight not only of a Lorde but rather of a father which tēdreth more your infirmaties thē you can tender the infirmities of any your childrē Yea whē in your self you see a motherly affection to your little one that is weake let the same be vnto you a trace to traint you to see the vnspeakeable kinde affectiō of god your father towards you And therfore vpō the cōsideratiō of your infirmities natural euils which cōtinually cleaue vnto vs take occasiō to go to god as your father through Christ before his mercifull harte lay open your infirmities euils with desire of pardō helpe after his good wil pleasure but in his time not when you wil by what meanes he wil not that way that you woulde in the meane season hāge on hope of his fatherly goodnes surely you shal neuer be ashamed For if a womā that is natural can not finally forget the child of her wōbe be sure god which is a father supernatural can not nor wil not forget you Yea if a womā could be so forgetful Esaye 4◠yet god him self saith he wil not be so This opiniō yea rather certain persuasion of god your father through christ see that you cherish by al meanes aswel by diligente consideration of his benefites as of hys louing corrections whether they be inwarde or outwarde see that you nourishe knowing for certaine that as the deuill goeth about nothing so much as to bring you in a doubt whether you be gods childe or no so whatsoeuer shal moue you to admit that dubitation be assured the same to come frō the deuill If you fele in your self not only the want of good things but also plētie of euil do not therfore doubt whether you be gods child in christ or no. For if for your goodnes or ilnesse sake which you feele or feele not you shold beleue or doubt thē should you make Christ Iesus for whose sake only god is your father eyther nothīg or els but a half Christ But rather take occasion of your wantes in good of your plenty in euil to go to god as to youre Father to pray him that in as much as he commaundeth you to beleue that he is your God and Father so he would geue you his good spiryte that you myght feele the same liue as hys child to his glorye cease not vpō such prayers to loke for cōfort in Gods good tyme stil hopyng the beste reiectyng al dubitatiō so al euil works words cogitations as the Lorde shall enable you by hys good spirit grace which I besech hym to geue vnto you my goodsister for euer And further I praye you that as he hath made you to be a helper vnto your husbād so you wold endeuour your self therin to shew the same aswel in soule as body and begge grace of god that your endeuours may be effectual to both your cōfortes in Christ Amē Iohn Bradforde To my beloued in the Lord. VV. P. GRrace and peace frō God the Father through our Lord Iesus Christ Amen Deare brother god most iustly hath caste me now into a dungeon but much better then I deserue wherin I see no mā but my keper nor can see any except they come to me Somthing in the earth my lodging is which is an exāple memorial of my earthly affectiōs which god I trust wil mortifie of my sepulchre wherunto I trust my Lord God will bring me in peace in his good time In the meane season he geue me pacience liuely hope and his good spirite This disease was a Rewme with a feblenes of stomacke wherwith he was muche troubled whiles he was at libertye I praye you pray for me for the prayer of the godly if it be effectuall worketh much
pleasures treasures of this world be but trifilles Therfore good sister often haue it before your eyes daily set your selfe your doings as before the iudgemente seate of Christ now that hereafter you be not called into iudgemēt Thinke that it wil litle profite you to winne the whole world to lose your owne soule Marke Christes lessons well he that wil saue his life shal lose it The father frō heauen commaundeth you to heare Christ he sayth folow me this can you not do followe Idolatrye or Idolaters Flye from such sayth the Scripture Thys god graunt to you to me to al gods children Amen Thus in hast I haue accōplished your request god graunt that as you haue done me muche good bodely so thys maye be a litle meane to doe you some good spiritually Amen If tyme would serue I would haue written more at large The .2 of Marche Anno. 1556. To the worshipful and in God my most deare frend the Ladye Vane THe good spirite of God our father be more more plētifully perceaued of your good Ladiship through the mediation merites of our dere Sauiour Iesus Christ Amē Although your benefites towardes me haue deserued at my hands the seruice I can do for you yet right worshipful and dearly beloued in the Lord the true feare of god and the loue of his truth which I perceaue to be in you especially and aboue al other things doth binde me hereunto This bearer hath told me that your desire is to haue somthing sent to you cōcerning the vsurped authoritie of the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome which is vndoubtedly the greate Antichrist of whom the Apostles do so much admonyshe vs that you may haue aswell somethyng the more to stay you on as also wherwith to answere the aduersaries because you may perchaunce therin be somthing aposed To satisfye this your desire I wyll brieflye go about and so that I will by gods grace fully set forth the same to enarme you to withstand the assaultes of the papistes herein if you marke well and read ouer agayne that which I now wryte The papists do place in preeminence ouer the whole church the Pope therby vnplacing Christ which is the heade of the church that geueth life to the whole bodye by his spirite doth make liuely euery member of the same This they doe without al scriptures For where they bring in this spoken to Peter feede my sheepe I wold gladly know whether this was not commaunded vnto others also As for that which perchaūce they wil vrge that he spake to Peter by name if they had any learnyng they would easelye perceaue howe that it was not for any such cause as they pretend but rather by a threfolde cōmaundement to restore to him the honour of an Apostle which he had lost by his threfold denyal And how dare they interpretate thys worde my shepe my Lābe◠to be the vniuersal Church of Christ I trowe a man might easely by the like reason proue that Peter hymself had resigned that which Christ had geuen to hym in exhortyng hys fellowe pastoures to feede the flocke of Christ Is not thys pretye stuffe Because Christ sayth to Peter feede my sheepe therfore he ought to rule the vniuersal and whole church of Christ If Peter do truly write vnto others that they shold do the lyke that is fede Christes flocke eyther he translateth hys right authority cōmitted to him vpon them or els he doth participate cōmunicate it with them So that folyshly they goe aboute to establishe that which hath no ground Peter in dede was a shepeheard of the shepe but suche a one as bestowed hys labour on them so farre as he could stretch out hym selfe by hys ministerye But the papistes prate that he had ful power ouer all Churches Wherin they maye see Paul to improue them for els he had done vniustly in denying them the superiour place Howbeit who euer yet redde that Peter dyd take any thyng vppon him ouer Churches committed vnto other men Was not he sent of the churche sent as one not hauing rule ouer the reaile I graūt that he was an excellent instrument of God and for the excellencye of hys gyftes when soeuer they meete together place therfore was commonlye geuen vnto hym But what is thys to the purpose to make hym ruler head ouer all the whole Churche because he was so ouer a small congregation But be it so that Peter had as much geuen to him as they do affyrme who yet will graunt that Peter had a patrimony geuen for his heires ▪ He hath left say the papistes to hys successours the self same right which he receaued Oh Lord God then must hys successour be a Sathan Math. 4. for he receaued that title of Christ hym selfe I woulde gladly haue the papistes to shew me one place of successiō mencioned in the Scriptures I am sure that when Paule purposely paynteth oute the whole administration of the Churche he neyther maketh one head nor anye enheritable Primacye and yet he is altogether in commendation of vnitye After he hath made mencion of one God the father of one Christe of one spirite of one body of the Churche of one faythe and of one baptisme then he describeth the meane and manner howe vnitye is to be kept namelye because vnto euerye pastour is grace geuen after the measure wherewyth Christe hath endowed them Where I praye you is now any title of Plenitudinis potestatis of fulnes of power When he calleth home euery one vnto a certayne measure whye dyd he not forthwith say one Pope Which thyng he coulde not haue forgotten if the thinge had beene as the papistes make it But let vs graunt that perpetuitie of the Primacye in the Church was establyshed in Peter I woulde gladlye learne why the Seate of the Primacye shoulde bee rather at Rome then elswhere Marye saye they because Peters chaire was at Rome Thys is euen lyke to thys that because Moses the greatest Prophette And Aaron the fyrste Prieste exercised theyr offyces vnto theyr deathe in the deserte therefore the principallest place of the Iewyshe Churche shoulde bee in the wyldernesse But graunt them theyr reason that it is good What should Antioche clayme For Peters chaire was there also wherin Paule gaue him a checke which was vnsemely and vnmanerlye done of Paule that would not geue place to hys president better No saie the papistes Rome muste haue this authoritie because Peter died there But what and if a man should by probable coniectures shewe that it is but a fable which is fayned of Peters Bishoprike at Rome Read how Paule doth salute very many priuate persons when he writeth to the Romaines Three yeres after hys Epistle made he was brought to Rome prisoner Luke telleth that he was receaued of the brethren and yet in al these no mention at all of Peter whiche then by their Storyes was at Rome Belike he
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
Iude. 1. as Peter Paul Iude prophecyed it shold be to poison kil our soules wyth false doctrine And where he fayleth hys purpose that way then moueth he hys members to persecute the sely carcases of the Saints because they wyl not denye nor dissemble theyr pure fayth in our liuyng Christ confesse a dead bready christ and honour the same as Christ god man Exod 20. 1. Iohn 5. 2. Corin. 10 contrary to gods cōmaundements Thys is the working of Sathā who knowing hys own iust dāpnation would al mankynd to be pertakers wyth him of the same such a mortal hatred beareth he agaynst god his people Matth. 4. And therfore when thys wicked tempter could not kyll Christ with suttel temtation to fal down worship him thē he stirred vp hys seruantes the byshops Pharisees to kil hys body wherby notwithstanding the deuyl lost hys title enterest which he had to mans soule and mā by his precious passion and death was raunsomed frō the deuil death hel to immortalitie lyfe euerlasting and so when Sathan thought to haue wonne all in kylling of Christ he lost all and so shall he do in vs if we abyde constant and strong in the fayth of our lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ vnto the end God graunt it for his mercyes sake in Christ blessed are al they that put their trust in hym Amen Wherfore my hartely beloued brethrē sisters be of good cōfort through Iesus Christ for he that is in vs is strōger thē he that is in the world Therfore draw ye nere to god Iames. 2 he wil draw nere to you Resist the deuil he wil as Iames saith flee frō you Beware of the leuē of the Pharisees Math. 16. Touch not pitche least ye be defiled therewith Eate no swynes fleshe for it is against the lawe I meane defyle not your selues neither inwardly nor outwardly with thys false wicked religion of Antichrist for it is nothing els but pitch Apo. 13.14 Apo. 18 2. Cor. 6. swynes flesh Beware of the beastes marke lest ye drinke of the cup of gods wrath If god haue geuē you knowlege fayth dissēble not therwith Deny not the knowen verity before men lest Christ denie you before hys father Come away frō Babilon as Iohn biddeth you touch no vncleane thing but seperate your selues from the companye of the vngodly as Paul commaundeth you What soeuer ye haue done amysse heretofore now repent and amend psal 129. for with the lord there is mercye and plenteous redemption The third thing note which I gather out of the foresayd words of Peter is this that he sayth reioyce because ye are pertakers of Christs passiōs Our sufferings my welbeloued are christs sufferings and that iniury that is done to vs for his sake he rekoneth it to be done to himself as he said to Paul Act. 9. Saule Saule why persecutest thou me Col. 1. Therfore we ought to reioyce in our sufferings as Paul writeth which we suffer with Christ one with an other as Peter sayth so to fulfyll that which is behinde of the passions of Christ in our flesh which Christ hath by hys passion fully redemed saued vs in hys own person howbeit hys elect must suffer with him for him vnto the worldes end Mat. 5. that he may be glorifyed in thē and they therby corrected clensed frō sinne in thys world be made more mete temples for the holy ghost and also obtain a great reward in heauē for their suffering for righteousnes sake according to his promise And therfore I say my brethrē reioyce in the lord alwayes agayne I say reioice Let vs reioyce in the crosse of our lord Iesus Christ Phil 3. Galat. 6. wherby the word is crucifyed to vs we to it And why shoulde we so greatly reioyce in the crosse of Christ which we now suffer Because saith Peter when his glory appeareth we may be mery glad And this is the fourth note that I gather out of his words aboue writē Wherin is set out the reward of suffering not to be had in this world but at his coming to iudgement when we shal be raysed agayn and then shall they that haue sowen in teares reape in ioy as christ sayth blessed are they that wepe here for they shal laughe Blessed are ye when mē hate you thrust you out of their company rayling on you abhorring your name as an euel thīge for the sonne of mās sake Luke 6 reioyce ye in that day and be glad for your rewarde is great in heauen Wherfore my dearly beloued through hope of thys heauenly ioye reward 1. Cor. 2. Heb. 12 which he that cā not lie hath promised which ioy is so great that no eare hath heard no eie hath sene nor the hart cā thinke where we shal dwel for euer in the heauenly citie the celestiall Ierusalē in the presence of God the father Iesus Christ our mediatour as Paul sayeth and in the cōpany of innumerable Angels and with the spirits soules of al faythful iust men reioyce be glad seīg ye be called to so great glory 2 pet i. see that ye make your election vocation sure by good workes specially by suffering aduersitie for the Gospels sake Phil. 1. for it is geuen vs of god saith Paul not only to beleue in Christ but also to suffer for his sake Continue in prayer pray for me that I may end my course with ioye Haue brotherly loue amongest your selues Iohn 14 which is a tokē that ye be Christs distiples Edifie cōfort one an other in the word of the lord the god of peace loue be with you alwaies Amē For your liberalitie kindnesse shewed vpō the prisoners afflicted people of god in this time of persecutiō the lord wil reward you whē he cometh to reward euery mā according to their dedes and wil not leaue a cup of cold water bestowed vpon his faythfull people vnrewarded God make you rich in al grace Matth. 10. 2. Cor. 8. that ye alwayes hauing sufficient may be ryche vnto al manner of good workes The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the loue of god and the felowship of the holy ghost be with you alwayes Amen Your brother nowe in bondes for the gospell Thomas Whittell To my louyng and faythfull brother Iohn Careles prisoner in the Kynges Benche THe same faith for the which Abrahā was accompted iuste and Mary blessed wherby also al iust men liue the lorde god our louing father encrease and stablyshe in you and me to the obteining of eternal life in our alone and swete Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen I cā not worthely sufficiently prayse god my hartely be loued brother for the consolation ioye that I receaued by reasō of your louing letters repēting me much that
wyth you Amen This worlde I do forsake To Christ I me betake And for hys gospell sake Patiently death I take My body to the dust Now to returne it must My soule I know ful wel With my god it shal dwel Thomas Whittell ⧠Letters of Maister Robert Samuell a godly and learned Minister and preacher of Gods worde burnte at Ipsewiche for the faythfull testimony of the same the 18. of Auguste 1555. of whose straunge tormentes and vnmercifull handlyng c reade in the booke of Martyrs Fol. 1270. An exhortation to the patient sufferyng of afflictions for Christes cause and the verity of hys Gospell Eccle. 9. A Man knoweth not hys tyme but as the fishe is taken wyth the angle and as the byrdes are caught with the snare euen so are men caughte and taken in the perilous time when it commeth vppon them The tyme commeth the daye draweth nere Ezechi 7. Better it were to dye as the preacher sayth Eccl. 4 then to lyue and see the myserable workes which are done vnder the Sunne such so dayne and straunge mutations such wofull hainous and lamentable deuisions so fast approcheth and none or verye fewe thoroughly repenteth Esay 1. Alas for this synful nation a people of great iniquitye and seede of vngraciousnes corruptyng their wayes They haue forsaken the lord they haue prouoked the holy one of Israell to anger and are gone backward Who now liueth not in such security and rest as thoughe al daungers were cleane ouerpast Who nowe blyndeth and buffeteth not christ with seest me and seest me not Yea who liueth not now in such felicity worldly pleasures and ioies wholy seeking the world prouidyng and craftely shyftyng for the earthly clodde and all carnall appetites as thoughe synne were cleane forgotten ouerthrowen and deuoured Lyke hoggyshe gaddernes nowe are we more afrayde and ashamed of Christ our Messias Math. 8 fearyng the losse of our fylthy pygges I meane our transitory goods and disquieting of our synfull and mortall bodies in thys short vncertayn and miserable lyfe thē of a legion of Deuyls seducyng and driuyng vs from hearing reading Marke 5. and beleuing Christ gods eternall sonne and hys holy word the power to saue our soules vnto vanities lyes and fables Rom. 10. and to this bewitchyng world Oh perilous aboundaunce of goodes to much saturity of meates wealth quietnes Genes 19. which destroied wyth so many soules those goodly Cities Sodome and Gomorre Ieroboam so long as he was but a poore man not yet auaunced to hys dignitie liued in the lawes of god without reprehension but brought once to welth and prosperous estate he became a wycked and most shamefull Idolatour And what made the couetous young man so loth to follow Christ Math. 19. when he was bydden to forsake but worldly wealth which he then enioyed Wo be vnto these false elusions of the world baites of perdition hokes of the Deuill which haue so shamefully deceyued and seduced ful many from the ryght pathe vnto the Lord into the high wais of confusion and perpetuall perdition We myght now worthely deare christians lamente and bewaile our heauye state miserable condition and sorowful chaunce yea I say we myght wel accuse our selues and with Iob curse these our troublous wicked Iob. 3. and bloody last days of thys world were it not that we both see and beleue and fynde in gods sacred booke Esay 10 that a remnaūt god hath in al ages reserued I meane the faythfull as many as haue bene from the beginnyng of the world exercised whetted and pullished with diuers afflictions troubles tossings cast and dashed against all perils and daūgers as the very drosse and outcastes of the earth and yet wyll in no wyse halte betwene god and Baal 1. Cor. 4 for God vtterly abhorreth two men in one he cannot away wyth thē that are betwene both but casteth thē away as a filthy vomite Apoca. 3. Christ wil not parte spoile with his mortal enemy the deuil he wil haue all or lose all he wil not permit the Deuil to haue the seruice of the body and he to stand contented with the harte and mynd but he wil be glorified bothe in your bodyes and in your spirites which are hys as S. Paule sayeth 1. Cor. 6 For he hath made all bought all and dearely payde for all As S. Peter saith 1. pet 1. wyth hys owne immaculate body hathe he cleane discharged your bodies from sinne death and hel and wyth hys most precious blood payd your raunsome full pryce once for all and for euer Nowe what harme I pray you or what losse sustayne you by this Why are you O vayne men more afraide of Iesus your gentle Sauiour and his gospel of saluation then of a legion of cruel deuils goyng about wyth false delusions vtterlye to destroye you both bodies and soules Thynke you to be more sure then vnder your captayne Christe Doe you promise your selues to be more quiete in Sathans seruice then in Christes religion Esteme you more these trāsitory and pernicious pleasures then god and all hys heauenly treasures Oh palpable darkenes horrible madnes and wilful blyndnes without comparison to much to be suffred any longer We see wyll not see we know and wyll not knowe yea we smarte wyl not fele that our own conscience wel knoweth Oh miserable and brayneles soules which would for folish pleaiures and slippery wealth lose the royall kyngdome and permanent ioyes of god wyth the euerlastyng glory which he hath prepared for them that truly loue hym and renoūce the worlde 2. Cor. 4 The chyldren of the worlde lyue in pleasure and wealthe and the Deuyll who is theyr GOD and Prynce of thys worlde kepeth theyr wealthe whyche is proper vnto them and letteth them enioye it But let vs whiche bee of Christe Ioh. 12 seeke and enquyre for heauenlye thynges whiche by gods promyse and mercye in Christ shal be peculier vnto vs. Let I say the Cretians epicures and such other beastly Belials and carnall people passe for thynges that be pleasaunt for the body and do appertayne to thys transitory lyfe yet shall they once as the kinglye Prophet sayth runne about the Citye of god to fro howlyng lyke dogges Psalm 58. desiring one scrappe of the ioyes of gods elect Luk. 16 but al to late as the rich glutton Let vs therfore passe for those thynges that do perteyne to the spirit and be celestial Coloss 3 Heb. 13 Iob. 7. We must be here saith Paule not as inhabitours and home dwellers but as straungers not as straungers onely but after the mynde of Iob as paynefull souldiours appoynted of our gouernour to fyght agaynst the gouernour of darknes of this world agaynst spiritual craftines in heauenly thynges The tyme is come we must to it Ephesi 5 1. pet 4 the iudgemēt must begin first at the house of god Began they not first wyth the
meanes flatteryng hym that he shall both saue hys lyfe and also hys goodes and lyue in quiete But yf we loke wel on Christes holy wil and testament we shall perceyue that he came not to make any such peace vppon earth Math. 10 Iohn 14.15.16 nor yet that he gaue any such peace to hys Disciples I leaue peace wyth you saieth he my peace I geue you not as the world geueth it geue I vnto you Let not your harte be troubled nor fearefull these thynges haue I spoken vnto you that in me ye shoulde haue peace In the world ye haue affliction but be of good cheare I haue ouer come the world The seruaunt is not greater then his lorde and maister if they haue persecueed me they shall also persecute you If any man come to me and hateth not hys own father and Mother wyfe chyldren Systers yea and moreouer his owne lyfe Luk. 6.14 it is not possible for hym to be my disciple Blessed be ye that nowe wepe for ye shall laughe wo be vnto you that now laugh for ye shal mourne and wepe he that wyll fynde his lyfe shall lose it Iohn 12 Therfore the god of that true peace and comfort preserue and kepe vs that we neuer obey such false flatteryng which at length will paye vs home once for all bringyng for hys temporall peace and quietnes euerlastyng trouble vexation disquietnes for these vayne and transitory goodes extreme losse and vtter dammage of the eternall treasure and inhericaunce for thys mortal lyfe depriuation of the most ioyful lyfe immortal finally the entrance into endles deth most miserable vnmeasurable payne and torment both of body and soule Now cōferring these two Scholemaisters together let vs cōsider the thyng wel and determine with our selues which way we ought to take and not to take the common broade way which semeth here most pleasaunt and that the most part of people take Surely I iudge it to be better to go to schole wyth our maister Christ and to be vnder hys ferula rodde although it seme sharpe and greuous for a time that at the length we may be coheritours wyth hym of euerlastyng ioy rather thē to kepe cōpany with the Deuils scholers the adulterous generatiō in his Schole that is al ful of pleasure for a while and at the ende to be payd wyth the wages of continual burning in the most horrible lake which burneth euermore wyth fire and brimstone without any ende What shal then these vayne goods and temporal pleasures auayle Who shall then helpe when we cry incessantly wo wo alas and weale away for vnmeasurable payne griefe sorrowe O let vs therfore take hede betime and rather bee content to take paynes in thys worlde for a tyme that we may please god Our sauiour Christ the true teacher sayeth euery braunche that bringeth not forth fruite in me Iohn 15 Eccl. 41. my father wyll take away It is also written not in vayne the chyldren of the vngodly are abhominable children and so are they that kepe company wythe the vngodly What doth he els I pray you that resorteth to the ministration seruice that is most repugnaunt and contrary to christes holye testament there kepyng styl silence and nothing reprouing the same but in the face of the world by hys very dede it self declareth hymself to be of a false fearefull dissembling fayned and vnfaithfull hart and to haue laid away from hym the armour of light discouraging asmuch as lyeth in him al the residue of Christes hoste and geuyng a manifest offence to the weake and also confirmyng encouraging and reioycing the hartes of the aduersaries in al theyr euil doing By which example he doth shew hymselfe neyther to loue god whom he seeth to be dishonoured blasphemed of an Antichristian minister nor yet hys neighbour before whome he should rebuke the euyll Leuit. 18. as it is expressely commaunded in gods holy law where it is sayd thou shalt in any wyse rebuke thy neighbour that thou beare not sinne for his sake Wherfore let such a one neuer fantasy to deceiue himselfe that his name is registred in the boke of lyfe to haue the stipend of christes souldiour except he do the duty and performe the part of a faithful right true souldiour as other haue done before For such fearefulnes commeth not from god as testifieth S. Paule saysng 2. Timot. 1. God hath not geuen vs the spirite of feare but of power of loue Be not ashamed saith he to testify our lord but suffer aduersitie also with the gospel through the power of god which saued vs called vs with an holy callyng To be now feareful when most nede is that we shuld be of strōg hartes is vtterly that reiecting of the feare of god plaine vnfaithfulnes disobedience to the expresse commaūdemēt of our Sauiour christ which saith in his holy gospel Mat. 10. feare not them that kil the body c. For what faithfulnes do we expresse towardes hym when he saith thus to vs and yet we declare in our doings the very contrary beyng euer feareful euē as the vnbeleuyng Israrlites which vnfaythfully feared gods enemies the heathē Cananites where as he had oftētimes geuen thē commaundemēt by his true prophet Moses to do the contrary For the which cause Nume 13.14 al the whole nūber of that secte were destroyed in processe of time in the wildernes and enioyed not the pleasaunt land of promise Which was a bodely figure shewed before and now agreing to the promise of the heauēly inheritaūce which shal be geuē to none other but only to all such as with loue vnfained be wholy bent without any feare of mā to fulfil gods holy wil pleasure But all they that pertaine to the lyuely faith to the winning of the soule wil faithfully sticke to the cōmaundement trusting most firmely faithfully that he that gaue the same wil also geue strength plentifully to performe it euen in the weakest vessels of al as we haue heard sene by many and diuers exāples he only be praised therfore S. Peter saith feare not though they seeme terrible vnto you ◠pet 3. neither be troubled but sanctify the lord god in your harts Only saith S. Paule let your conuersation be as it becommeth the gospel of christ Cōtinue in one spirit in one soule phil 3 labouring as we doe to maintayne the faith of the gospel in nothyng fearing your aduersaries which is to thē a tokē of damnation and to you of saluatiō that of god for vnto you it is geuē the not only ye should beleue in Christ but also suffer for his sake Wherfore let vs be right wel assured that we shal yelde a most straight reckening and accompt yf we transgresse the said most wholsome precepts geuē us of our maister Christ of his apostles now in thys troublesome time wherin the gospel is persecuted
stay your owne conscience wyth the sure truth faithful word of god 1. Cor. 3 with the infallible testimonies of holy scripture For although gods mercy is ouer al hys works Psal 3. Heb. 3. yet it doth not extend but only to them that hold fast the confydence reioicing of hope vnto the end not being weary in wel doing but rather waxe euery day strōger and stronger in the inward man Therfore in the Reuelatiō of S. Iohn 2. Cor. 4. where it is entreated of the beast and hys image it is also said here is the sufferaūce of saints here are they that kepe the commaundements the fayth of Iesus Christ Wherby almighty god doth shew plainly that he doth vse those wycked men as instruments for a tyme to try the patience fayth of hys peculiar people without the performance wherof we can haue no part among the lyuyng but as it is said in the same Reuelation the feareful shal haue theyr part in the lake that burneth wyth fyre and brymstone whych is the second death But peraduenture ye wyll obiect and saye vnto me what shal we do Shal we cast our selues hedlong to death I saye not so But this I saye that we are all bounde yf euer we loke to receyue saluation at gods hand in this case wholy to be obedient to hys determinate counsel and foreknowlege 1. Corin. 12 expressed by the gyft of the spiryt in holy Scripture and then to cast all our care vpon hym who worketh al in al for the best vnto them that loue hym Roma 28. thus he geueth commaundement saying come away from her my people Apo. 18. that ye bee not partakers of her synnes and that ye receyue not of her plagues Now who hearyng thys terrible voyce of god which must nedes be fulfylled wyl not wyth al spede dyligēce apply hymself to do therafter except such as wyll presūpteously tempt hym And as touchyng suche the wyse man sayeth Ecclesi 3. he that loueth peryl and daunger shal peryshe therein but they that be of the fayth of Abraham euen as he dyd so wyl they in al assayes trials be obediēt to the heauenly voyce howsoeuer it semeth contrary to theyr own natural wyl carnal reasō Psalm 36. according to the sure word of fayth which sayth hope thou in the lord kepe hys way hold thee styl in the lord abyde patiently vpon hym Let not thy ielousy moue thee also to do euil 2 Cor. 6. Come out from among thē ioyne not your selues to their vnlawful assembles yea do not once shew your selues wyth the least part of your body to fauour theyr wycked doyngs but glorify god as most ryght is so wel in your whole body outwardly 1. Cor. 6. as inwardly in your spirit or els you can doe neyther of hothe wel for your body doth belōg to god so wel as your spirit At the dreadful day of iudgement we shal al receyue the works of our bodyes accordyng to that we haue done 2. Cor. 5 whether it be good or bad Therfore whatsoeuer we do we may not bring the spirit in bondage to the body but contrariwise we must subdue the body and the will of the flesh to the spirite that the spirit may freely accomplishe the will of God in all thinges for otherwise we shall neuer bee partakers of his promise with the true children of Abrahā For as S. Paule saith they which are the children of the flesh are not the childrē of god if we shal liue according to the flesh we shal die For to be carnally minded is deth but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because that the fleshly mynded is enmity of god for it is not obedient to the lawe of God neyther can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God Nowe chose you which way you wil take either the narrow way that leadeth vnto life which christ himself and his faithful folowers haue gone through before or els the broad path way that leadeth to destruction which the wicked worldlings take their pleasure in for a while I for my part haue now written this short admonition vnto you of good wyl as God be my witnes to exhort you to that way which at length you your selues should proue and finde to be best yea and reioyce therof And I do not onely write this but I wil also wyth the assistance of gods grace ratify confirme and seale the same wyth the effusion of my blood when the full time shal be expired that he hath appointed which so farforth as I maye iudge muste nedes be within these few dayes Therfore I now byd you al most hartely farewel in the lord whose grace be with your spirit Amen Watch pray watch and pray pray pray So be it Iohn Hullyet ⧠Letters of Maister Robert Glouer a gentleman of muche godlye learnynge innocencye and vpryghtnes of lyfe and hartye zeale to the worde of God burnte at Couentrie for the faythfull testimonye of the same the .14 daye of September In the yere of our Lord .1555 To my moste intyrelye beloued wyfe Marye Glouer THe peace of conscience whiche passeth all vnderstanding the sweete consolation comfort strength and boldenesse of the holy ghoste be continuallye increased in your hart through a feruent earnest and stedfaste fayth in our most deare and only Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen I thanke you hartelye moste louyng wyfe for your letters sent vnto me in my imprysonment I redde them wyth teares more then once or twyse wyth teares I say for ioy and gladnesse that God had wroughte in you so mercyfull a worke fyrst an vnfayned repentaunce secondlye an humble and harty reconciliation thyrdly a willyng submission and obedience to the wyll of God in all thynges Whiche when I redde in your letters and iudged them to proceede from the bottome of your hart I coulde not but be thankfull to God reioysing with teares for you and these hys greate mercyes poured vppon you These your letters and the hearyng of your moste Godlye procedynges and constante doinges from tyme to tyme haue muche releued and comforted me at all tymes and shall bee a goodlye testimonye wyth you at the greate daye agaynste manye worldlye and deintye daines whiche set more by their owne pleasure and pelfe in this world then by Gods glory litle regarding as it appeareth the euerlasting healthe of their owne soules or others My prayer shal be whylest I am in this world that god whiche of his great mercy hath begonne his good worke in you will finishe it to the glory of his name and by the myghtie power and inspiration of hys holye spirite so strengthen stablishe and confyrme you in all his wayes to the ende that we maye together shewe forth his prayses in the worlde to come to our vnspeakeable consolation euerlastingly Amen So long as God shall lende you continuance in this
death for hys sonnes sake What a spectacle shall it beto the worlde to beholde so godlye a fellowshippe as you seruauntes of god in so iust a quarrel as the gospel of Christ is with so pure a conscience so stronge a fayth and so liuelye a hope to offer your selues to suffer moste cruell tormentes at the handes of Gods enemyes and so to ende your dayes in peace to receaue in the resurrection of the ryghteous life euerlasting Heb. 11. Be stronge therfore in your battayle The Lord God is on your syde and hys truth is your cause phi 3 and agaynst you be none but the enemies of the crosse of Christ as the Serpent and hys seede the Dragon wyth hys tayle Math. 3. Iohn 8. the marked mē of the Beast the ofspring of the Pharisees the congregation malignaunt the generation of Vipers murtheters as theyr father the deuyll hath bene from the beginnynge To conclude such are they are the Lord God hath alwayes abhorred and in all ages resisted and ouerthrowen God from whom nothing is hid knoweth what they are He that searcheth the hartes of men Psal 34. Heb. 4. he hath founde them oute to be craftye subtyll full of poyson proude disdaynefull stifenecked deuourers rauenees and barkers agaynste the truthe fylthye and shamelesse and therefore doth the spirite of God by the mouthes of his holye Prophettes and Apostles call them by the names of Foxes Iude. 1. Serpents Cockatrices Lions Leopardes Bulles Beares Wolues Dogges Swine Beastes teaching vs thereby to vnderstande that their naturall inclination is to deceaue poyson and destroye as muche as in them lyeth the faythfull and elect of God Psalm 76. But the Lord with his right arme shall defende hys little flocke agaynste the whole rabblement of these worldlings Matth. 20. Luk. 2i Math. 10. 1. Pet. 2. whiche haue conspired against him he hath numbred all the heares of hys childrens heades so that not one of them shall peryshe withoute hys fatherly will He keepeth the sparowes muche more will he preserue them whom he hath purchased with the bloode of the immaculate Lambe He wil keepe them vnto the houre appoynted wherein the name of God shall bee glorifyed in his Sainctes In the meane tyme let them woorke theyr willes Math. 10 Sapi. 3. let them enuye let them maligne let them blaspheme let thē curse banne betraye whyppe scourge hange and burne for by these meanes God will trye his electe as golde in the furnace and by these fruites shall they also bring themselues to be knowen what they be for all theyr shepes skinnes For as he that in suffering patiently for the Gospell of God is thereby knowen to be of Christe euen so in likewise is the persecutour of hym knowen Psal 7. to be a member of Antichriste Besydes thys their extreme crueltye shall be a meane the sooner to prouoke god to take pitie vppon hys seruauntes and to destroye them that so tyranouslye entreate hys people as we maye learne by the historyes as well in the bondage of Israell vnder Pharao in Egypte Exod. 13. Esd 3.13 as also in the miserable captiuitie of Iuda in Babilon Where as when the people of God were in moste extreme thraldome then did the Lord stretch forth his mighty power to deliuer hys seruauntes 2. Mach. 7. Iacob 4. i Pet. 5. Apo. 9. Heb 12. Iacob 2 Though God for a time suffer them to bee exalted in theyr owne pride yet shall they not scape hys vengeaunce They are hys roddes and when he hath worne them to the stumpes then wil he caste them into the fyer thys shall bee their fynall rewarde Our dutie is in the meane while paciently to abide the wil of god which worketh all thinges for the beste Thus dealeth he wyth vs partly for our trial 2 Cor i2 Esdras 36 partly also for our synnes which we most greuously haue committed to the great slaunder of hys gospel wherby the name of God was euill spoken of amonge his enemies Roma 2. for the whiche he nowe punisheth vs wyth hys fatherly corrections in this worlde i. Cor i Luke 15 that we should not be dampned wyth the worlde By thys meanes seeketh he hys sheepe that were lost to bryng them home to the folde agayne By this way seketh he to reforme vs that we may be like vnto him Ephesi 4 after the image of his sonne Iesus Christ in all holines and righteousnes before hym Finally thys way vseth his godly wisdome to make vs therby to know hym Ose 13. our selues in hym that afore tyme had in a maner forgotten him praysed bee his name therefore And as for these Balaamites which now do molest vs commit thē to the handes of god geue hym the vengeaunce and he will reward them Rom. 12. phil 2 Luke 8. Marke 4. psal 8. psal 4. Ieremy 12. Fal ye to prayer and let these belly gods prate For he is in heauen and slepeth not that kepeth Israell He is in heauen that made the seas calme when the Disciples were afraid Let vs now faithfully call vpon hym and he will heare vs. Let vs cry vnto the Lord for he is gratious and merciful When we are in trouble he is wyth vs he wyll deliuer vs and he wyll glorify vs. If we come vnto hym we shal fynde hym turned vnto vs. If we repent vs of our wickednes done against hym Ieremy 18 then shal he take away the plague that he hathe deuised against vs. Let vs therfore earnestly repent bryng forth the worthy frutes of repentaunce Let vs study to be hys then shall we not nede to feare what these hypocrites do agaīst vs Matth. 12. which with their pretensed holines deceiue the hartes of the symple and abuse the authoritie of god in hys Prynces causing them by their procurement to testify their ambicious prelacie and to erect vp their Idole agayne wyth the Romish Masie God in whose handes are the hartes of kynges Iob. i2 pro. 15.22 opē the harte of the Quenes hyghnes to espye them out what they be so to wede them out that they no longer be suffred to trouble the congregation of God to poyson the realme wyth Pope holy doctrine psal 24.30 78. God almighty for hys sonne Iesus Christes sake deliuer the Quenes highnes and this her church realme from these proude prelates which are as profitable in the churche of Christe as a polecatte in the myddes of a warren of connies To conclude my bretherne I commit you to God and to the power of hys worde whiche is hable to establysh you in all truth Hys spirite be wyth you and worke alway that ye maye be myndful of your dueties towardes hym whose ye are both bodye and soule Whome see that ye loue serue dreade obey aboue all worldly powers and for nothyng vnder the heauens defyle your conscience before God Dissemble not wyth hys worde
Marke 6 Matth. 10. Apo 5. God wyl not be mocked naye they that dissemble with him deceiue themselues Such shal the lord deny and caste oute at the laste daye such I say as beare two faces in one hoode such as play on both handes such as deny the knowen truth such as obstinately rebel agaynst hym All such with theyr partakers shall the lord destroy God defend you from al such and make you perfecte vnto the ende Iohn 16. Your sorow shall be turned into ioy A letter sent to a frende of hys THe eternall God kepe you in hys feare I haue me hartely commended vnto you your husband besechyng almighty god to preserue you in well doyng and in perfect knowledge of hys Christ that you may be soūd fautles in the day of the Lord. I haue heard say that my frend is geuē ouer to vanity It breaketh my hart not only to heare that he so dothe but also teacheth other that it is vnhurtfull to go to all abhominations whyche now stande in the Idoles temples Neuerthelesse deare frend be not moued to followe synners for they haue no inheritaunce wyth GOD and Christe But looke that by goyng into the Idoles temple you defyle not the temple of God for lyghte hath no fellowshyp wyth darkenes but looke what the Lord hath commaunded that doe For yf not goyng to church were wythout persecution they woulde not learne you that lesson But all thing that is swete to the flesh is allowed of the fleshly The Lord shal rewarde euery man accordyng to hys works he that leadeth into captiuity shal go into captiuity and he that by the fleshly man is led in the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption The lord Iesu geue you hys holy spirit Amen Seke peace and ensue it Feare god loue god with al your hart wyth al your soule and wyth all your strength Your frend and all mens in Christ Iesus R. Smith Scribled in hast from Newgate the .12 of May. To hys VVyfe THe God and father eternal which brought againe frō death our Lord Iesus Christ kepe thee deare wyfe nowe and for euer wyth thy Parentes and all thy frendes Amen I prayse God for hys mercye I am in the same state that you lefte me in rather better then worse lokyng daylye for the lyuyng GOD before whome I hunger full sore to appeare and receyue the glorye of whyche I trust thou art wyllyng to be a partaker I geue GOD most harty thankes therefore desyryng thee of all loues to stande faste in that fayth which thou hast receyued and let no man take awaye the seede that almighty god hath sowē in thee but lay hands of euerlastyng lyfe which shal euer abide whē both the earth al earthly frends shal peryshe desyryng them also to receiue thankfully our trouble which is momentane light as S. Paule saith not worthy of the things which shal be shewed on vs that we patiētly carying our crosse may attayne to the place whether our Sauiour Christ is gone before to the which I besech god of his mercy bring vs spedely I haue bene much troubled about your deliueraūce fearyng much the persuasions of worldlings haue found a frend which wil I trust find a meane for you if you be not alredy prouided desiring you in any case to abide suche order as that my frende shall appoint in god And bear wel in mind the words which I spake at our departīg that as god hath chosē vs made vs worthy to suffer with him we may endeuour our selues to folow vprightly in thys our vocation desiryng you to present my hartye commendations to all our frendes and especiallye to your Parentes kepyng youre matter close in anye wyse Geue moste hartye thankes to my frende whiche onelye for our cause is come to Windsor Continue in prayer Do wel Be fautles in al thyngs Beware of abhominations Keepe you cleane from synne Praye for me as I doe for you I haue sente you a piece of golde for a token and moste entierlye desire you to sende me worde yf you lacke any thyng The lord Iesu preserue you and yours Amen From Newgate the .15 of Apryll Yf you wyll mete wyth me agayn Forsake not Christ for any payne By your faithfull husband Robert Smyth ⧠Letters of Maister Bartelet Grene a gentleman and professour of the Lawe who for gods cause and the mayntenaunce of hys holy Gospel suffred martyrdome the .13 of Ianuarye In the yere of our Lord. 1556. To hys dearely beloued in the lord Mystres Elizabeth C. WOuld God if it were hys pleasure that with this letter I might send you my hart mind and whatsoeuer there is in me elles that pertaineth vnto god So should I thynke it the best message happiest letter that euer I could wryte But though I obtaine not my desyre yet shal I not cease with continual praier to labour for you desiring almighty god to encrease that which he hath long sith begon in you of sober life earnest zeale towards his religiō In faith as saith S. Paule she that is a true widow frēdles putteth her trust in god i. Cor 7 cōtinuing day and nyght in supplication and prayer but she that liueth in pleasure is dead euen yet alyue And verely a true widowe is she that hathe maried Christ forsakyng the vanities of the world and lust of the fleshe For as the maried woman careth how to loue please and serue her husband i. Tim 5 so ought the widowe to geue all her harte and soule thoughtes and wordes studies and labours faythfully to loue god vertuously to bring vp her children and householde and diligentlye to prouide for the poore and oppressed Therfore Sainte Paule firste instructeth a widowe howe to behaue her selfe that is to beginne wher Paule leaueth not to lyue in pleasure then to watch vnto prayer as the onely meanes to obtaine al our desires stedfastly laying vp all our trust in God as Salomō ryght well saith psalm 34. Luk. 2. first escheue euill then do good Of Anna the praise is wrytten that she neuer went out of the temple but serued God wyth fastyng and prayer nyght and daye so well had she espoused Christ Iudith 8. Iudith ware a smocke of heare contynuyng in fastyng and had good reporte of al men The next care that belongeth vnto a wydow is that she bring vp her chrildrē and household godly Ephes 6. in the nourture and informacion of the Lord. Wherof Sainct Paule sayth if any widow haue chyldren or Nephewes 1. Tym 5. let them learne firste to rule theyr owne house godlye and to recompence theyr elders The incontinency coueteousnes of Phynees and O phny not corrected by Ely their father ◠Reg. 2 prouoked gods vēgeaūce vpō him all his kynred The ouer tender loue of Absolon expelled Dauyd from his kyngdom 2. Regū 15 The vnrebuked sinnes of Ammon encouraged Absolon to
slea hys brother Moste manifest examples agaynst the parentes 1. Reg. 3. for the offences of theyr childrē Contrariwse how greatly myght Hānah reioyce ouer Samuell her sonne 2. Reg. 13 whom she had broughte vp in the house of the Lord What thanks should Tobias wife geue for her sonne Toby 3e Reg. 1 How happy was Salomon to be taught by the prophete Nathan But aboue all wydowes thryse blessed was the happy mother of seuen sonnes that so had instructed thē in the feare of God ◠Mach. 7 that by no torments they would shrynke from the loue of hys truth Of the laste parte Sainct Paule sheweth that a widow shoulde be chosen if she haue nouryshed her chylderne yf she haue bene lyberall to straungers yf she haue washed the saintes fete and yf she haue ministred to them in aduersitie Herein it is euident how earnestly Saint Paule would haue wydowes bent towardes the poore for that as thoughe they onelye had bene therfore mete he apointed onely wydowes to minister vnto the Saintes and to gather for the poore Which vse also continued almost throughout the primitiue church that wydowes had the charge and gatheryng for poore men and straungers Of your neighbours I nede not to put you in remembraunce seyng you daily fede them wyth good hospitality by which meanes also many foreiners are of your relieued but of the poore almes houses myserable prysoners here in London manye lackyng their libertye wythoute cause some vnder the colour of religion some only kept for fees and some on priuate mens displeasure Alas that Christe so hungreth and no man wil fede hym is so sore opprest wyth thrust and no man wyl geue hym to drynke destitute of all lodgyng and not releued naked and not clothed sicke and not visited emprisoned and not sene In tyme paste men could bestowe large summes of money on copes vestmēts and ornaments of the church Why rather follow we not Saint Ambrose example which solde the same to the reliefe of the poore or Chrisostomes commaundement whyche wylleth fyrste to decke and garnyshe the lyuyng temple of God But alas suche is the wyckednes of these oure laste dayes that nothyng moueth vs neither the pure doctryne the godlines of lyfe nor good exāples of the aunciēt fathers If in any thyng they erred yf they haue written any thing that serueth for sectes and dissention that wyll their charitable children embrace publish and mayntayne wyth sword fagotte and fire But all in vayne they striue agaynste the streame For though in despyte of the truthe by force of the ores of craftye persuasion they maye bryng themselues into the hauen of hell yet can they not make all men beleue that the bankes moue whiles the shyppe sayleth nor euer shal be able to turne the directe course of the streame of gods truthe Our Lord Iesus Christe strengthen you in all pure doctryne and vpright lyuyng and geue you grace vertuously to bryng vp your chyldren and family and carefullye to prouyde for the poore and oppressed Amen At Newgate the .20 of Ianu. 1556. Your assured Bartelet Grene. To my very louyng frendes and maysters M. Goring M. Farneham M. Fletewode M. Roses wel M. Bell M. Hussey M. Calthorpe ▪ M. Boyer and other my Maisters of the Temple Bartelet Grene wissheth health of body and soule VEry frendes are they which are knit together wyth the knotte of Charity Charity dothe not decay but increase in them that dye faythfullye Whereof it followeth that though we be absent in body yet are we present in spirite coupled together wyth the vnitie of fayth in the bond of peace which is loue How is be worthy the name of a frend that measureth hys friendship wyth the distance of place or partyng of persons If thy frende be out of sight is thy frendship ended If he be gone into the coūtrey wilt thou cease to loue hym If he be passed the seas wilt thou so forsake him If he be caried into heauen is charity hyndred therby On the one syde we haue the vse of the fathers from the primatiue church that gaue thākes for their frends that died in the fayth to proue that charity died not wyth death On the other side saith Horace Coelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt What speake I of Horace Saith not S. Paule the same thyng For we are mēbers of hys body of hys fleshe and of hys blood yea we are members one of another Is the hande or arme foote or legge a member when it is disseuered from the body How can we be members except we be ioyned together What is the line that coupleth vs but loue When all thinges shall fayle loue fayleth neuer Hope hath his ende when we get that we hoped for Fayth is fynyshed in heauen Loue endureth for euer loue I say that procedeth of charity For carnall loue when that which he loued is lost doth peryshe wyth the flesh Neither was that euer but fleshly loue which by distaunce of place or seueryng of bodies is parted a sunder If loue be the end or sūme of the lawe yf heauen and earth shal perishe if one iote of gods word shall not decay why should we thynke that loue lasteth not euer I nede not to wryte much to you my frends neyther can I haue leysure now that the kepers are risen But thys I say if we kept Christes commaundement in louyng eche other as he loued vs then should our loue be euerlastyng Thys frendshyp Paule felt when it moued hym to say that neyther length nor bredth meaning no distance of place neither height nor depth should seuer him from the loue of Christe Wey well thys place and mete it wyth Paules measures so shall you finde that if oure loue bee vnfayned it can neuer be ended Nowe maye you saye why writest thou this Forsoth to the end that if our frendship be stable you may accomplish thys the last requeste of your frende performe after my death the frendship we beganne in our life that amitie may encrease vntil god make it perfect at our next meting together Maister Fletewode I besech you remēber Wittrance Cooke two singular mē amōges cōmon prisoners Maister Fernhā M. Bel with M. Hussey as I hope wil dispatche Palmer and Richardson with his companions I praye you M. Calthrop thinke on Iohn Groue an honest poore man Traiford and Rice Aprice his accōplices My Cosin Thomas Witton a scriuener in Lomberd strete hath promised to further their deliuerye at the least he can instruct you which way to worke I dout not but that Maister Boyer will laboure for the good wyfe Cooper for shee is worthye to be holpen and Gerard the Frenchman There be also diuerse other wel disposed men whose deliuerance if ye will not labour for yet I humbly besech you to seke their reliefe as you shall see cause namely of Henry Aprice Lancelote Hobbes Lother Homes Carre and Buckingham a yong man
the greate daye I haue founde great kyndnes of you God recompence you and therefore dutye doth bind me and loue doth compel me to call crye vnto you to come away from that filthy whore of Babilon and bie no more of her wicked wares Meddle not with her marchaundyse at thys market tyme of Easter for verelye her synne is alreadye ascended vppe into heauen and hath also procured Gods plagues and vengeaunce shortlye to be poured vppon her whereof you shall surelye be partakers if you doe not in time repent your backeslidyng shrinking from the Lord. Repent I say repente for the tender mercy of God and haue compassion vppon your owne soules before it bee to late Trulye deare frendes it is nowe no tyme to flatter with you neyther can I laughe at your harme whiche I see to be at hande thoughe it be hydde from your eyes as it was from the Ierosolimitanes when Christe wepte full bytterly at their merye singing c. It is not the parte of a true harte to laughe with his frend when present peryll is at hande but rather to lament to see hym so merye when he hath more cause to mourne In whiche respecte I am euen constrayned with weepyng teares to call vnto you my deare frendes of London in generall because I will name no person that you may yet take hede know the tyme also of Gods first visitatioÌ„ for sure I am that hys seconde is harde at hande Doe not you thinke to flee from hys presence for hys heuye hand will finde you out though you should hyde your selues in the very bottome of hell as the Prophette Dauid sayeth Psal 139 Thinke not then that these Romyshe rockes whereinto you daylye creepe can couer you from hys fearefull face when he shal beginne to cal you to accompte for the talent that he hath lent you It is not that your fayned excuse of feare and fragilitie of the fleshe that shall excuse your follye and flying backe from hym No no you will be euen spechles at that day when euery bodye shall spye howe you haue defyled your maryage gramente wyth the superstitions of the whore of Babilon Apoc. 7. and howe you haue wyth that greate harlotte committed fornication in the body and spirite agaynst your deare husband Christ whiche redemed you neyther with corruptible gold nor siluer 2. Pet. 1. but with hys owne moste precious harte bloode and clensed you in the fountayne of water through his woorde that you myghte bee vnto him selfe a glorious spouse and congregation Eph. 5. withoute spotte or wryncke in hys syghte Then will it appeare in the presence of Aungell man and deuil how lyke dogges you haue tourned to your vomitte agayne and as filthye swyne soyled your selues in the popyshe mier pittes and dyrte of the Romyshe dregges Repente therefore I saye agayne repente in tyme and take the earneste warnyng that GOD doth sende you by me his poore messenger willyng you to turne vnto hym before it be to late But peraduenture you will saye as the gestes dyd that were fyrst bidden to the feaste you can not so easelye forgoe your farmes your cattell goodes and landes your wyues and children c. O my deare frendes for the Lords sake lay awaye these vayne yea wicked excuses for verelye God wil in no wise accepte them Consider for Christes sake your duty towardes God in these daungerous daies Math. 3. wherin the Lorde is willing to trye the chaffe from the good corne and to purge hys store with his fanne that is his crosse that he may bring the wheate into his barne and burne the chaffe with vnquencheable fyer You are called vnto a kyngdome that must be wonne with suffering on euery side Into the which you must also enter as S. Paule sayth through many tribulations temptations and afflictions Act. 14. in that whiche you must trauell as strauÌ„gers pilgrimes in thys wretched world which is not our natiue countrey nor the place where we must rest for euer Oh theÌ„ learne to leaue all things willingly that you do here possesse and lift vp your mindes alwayes to the heauenly habitation where you shal continually remaine in ioyes vnspeakeable Repose not your felicitie in the pelfe of this world which shortly shal perish come to nought but set your harts ioy vpon the liuing god who in Christ for his sake hath geuen him self wholy to be your portion and inheritance for euer therefore of ryght ought you with gladnes to geue your selues wholy vnto him both in body and soule But that do you not so long as you seeke to serue two Maisters Math. 6. which yet you can not do as Christe affirmeth though you cloke colour and counterfeite neuer so much Do you thinke it but a smal thing for the Lord god hym selfe euen the mightye Iehouah to geue him selfe wholye to be your owne good God and moste deare louing father Do you thinke it but a light matter that he hath geuen for you eueÌ„ to the death of the crosse his own onely dere sonne Iesus Christ in whoÌ„ was is all his whole pleasure delite yea and that wheÌ„ you were his very enemies by the whiche gift he hath geuen you al thinges both in heauen in earth Do you esteme it but a trifle that he hath geueÌ„ you the holy ghost by whose power mighty operation you are made the very sonnes of god and coheyres annexed with Christ of al your fathers goods and possessions But peraduenture you will aske me who doth not seriouslye regard all these aforesayde most precious giftes Verely I say that none of you al doth regard theÌ„ that do not wholye geue ouer your selues agayne to serue him yea and that in suche holynesse ryghteousnesse as is accepted before hym For if you did dulye consider the depthe of hys aboundaunte bottomeles loue and mercye in Iesus Christe you woulde so loue hym agayne that you woulde boldly burste out and saye with S. Paule who is he or what is it that shal be able to seperate vs from the loue of God in Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 8. Read the whole Chapter and the .11 and .12 to the Hebrewes for your comfort But I knowe that some of you wyll saye doth none loue god and serue hym trulye but such as lye in pryson or geue their liues for hys sake Then God helpe vs for verye fewe shal be saued In dede deare frends eueÌ„ so our sauiour christ doth say Math. 22. Math. 7. Luk. â—2 many are called but fewe are chosen and straite is the gate that leadeth to lyfe and fewe finde it And in an other place Christ calleth his true Church a little flocke And as concerning the fyrst parte of your question Christe doth also make you a playne direct answere saying that whosoeuer will be hys Disciple Math. â—6 must nedes take vp hys crosse follow him And againe he that
of GOD or elles we doe moste wickedly transgresse the greate and fyrste commaundemente But doe we obeye and beleue that thys is true So shall we of force by the same bee constrayned to fulfyll the seconde parte that is to saye loue hym wyth all oure harte c. For whoe seeing the goodnesse of GOD towardes hym in Iesus Christe for whose sake onelye he hath geuen hym selfe wholye to bee oures in most large ample wise that may be who I say seing thys woulde not with all his hart soule and minde loue the Lord againe and of loue not only leaue the doing of such things as might displease him but also be ready and willing to doe what so euer is acceptable in his sight yea moste gladly and ioyfullye suffer what soeuer he wil appoint vs to do for his sake knowing assuredly that nothing can come vnto vs no not the diminishing of one heare of our head wtout his good wil pleasure and merciful appointment and that he louing vs so wel that he would geue hys sonne him selfe the holye ghoste and finally all other thinges in Christe to vs will not appoynt any thing vnto vs otherwise then shall bee to the setting forth of his glory and our euerlasting commoditie This great aboundaunt bottomles loue and mercye of god did holy S. Paule depely feele when he made that bold proclamation in the latter ende of the .8 Chap. to the Rom. saying who is it or what is it that shal bee able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesu our Lord Reade the whole Chapter often times I besech you Thus deare hart you see the eternall loue fatherly care prouidence of God towardes you In respecte whereof I trust you do not onely caste al your care vpon him but also most louingly obeye him in all his holy ordinaunces euermore meekely submitting your will vnto his in all and euery thing knowing that the same wil make all thinges turne to your beste and that without his pleasure a poore sparow shall not peryshe in the foulers nette muche lesse you or your deare husband your good Vncle M. Latymer or any of yours Let this fayth and godlye persuasion euer more be firme in your hart without doubting or wauering for â—ouâ— it al that euer you go about is in vaine yea without this faith in God you can not please him you can not commit and betake your self wholy vnto him you can not truly feare him you can not loue him in deede you can not call vpon him or hartely praye vnto him neither yet prayse him a tyght Therefore let this be your alone and continual endeuour to be confirmed more and more of this that GOD is your owne moste deare louing father throughe Christ that he hath a moste tender care ouer you and for you as alwayes he hath hadde and euer wyll haue both in soule and body for this life for eternal life how so euer things haue or shal happeÌ„ to appeare vnto you According to this your fayth and as you beleue so shal it be vnto you and as you thinke god to be vnto you so shal you feele him Thinke therfore swetely of the lord of his goodnes thaÌ„ke him most hartely that euer he would vouch you worthy to sustaine the losse of your chefest treasures in earth for his sake and that he would euer geue you any thing to bestowe for his loue And as you prayse the Lord for his great mercyes manifolde benefites so largelye geuen vnto you before many other so do you faythfully pray vnto him that he wil continue hys louing kindnes towards you and kepe you blamelesse through loue in Christ vnto the ende yea make you worthye stronge and able to suffer the losse of your owne life for the testimonye of his truth whiche as your good Vncle sayde to me once and your deare husband full often is the greatest promotion and dignitie that God can bring vs vnto in this life yea it is an honour which the highest Aungells in heauen be not permitted to haue And in this your hartye and faythfull prayer I doe moste humblye require you to remember me a moste miserable wretch I feare me not compted worthye to become one of his constante witnesses vnto the worlde in such sorte as I woulde fayne be pray for me my deare hart pray for me as I will neuer forgette you nor your blessed childreÌ„ so long as I am in this prison of the body CoÌ„mende me vnto Hewgh Glouer Marmaduke and to their younger brother and sister The Lord god comfort and blesse them and poure his good spirite vpon them wherewith their good father was plentifully endewed I praye you do my hartye commendations vnto my good brother her Augustine and his wife and I hartely thanke you for your goodnesse towardes them Desire them also to praye for me for now the needefull time doth approche I prayse God I am more harty then euer I was and so I beseche hym to make you all to bee I haue manye thinges to say more but I am here constrayned to make an end Al my doinges come to an ende with extremitie God graunt that I may enter into his glory through the straite gate though I struggle striue thrusting amonge the preasse with great violence I beseche you yet once againe all my deare frends in god to ayde strengtheÌ„ me with your praiers as I wil neuer forget any of you so long as this wrasteling life of mine doth laste as knoweth God to whose most merciful defence I do hartely coÌ„mitte you and al yours The swete blessing of god the father the sonne the holy ghoste be with you all Amen Your dayly and most bounden Oratour Iohn Careles prysoner of the Lorde pray praye for me in fayth To my good brother M. Iohn Bradford THe peace of god in Iesus Christ the eternal coÌ„fort of his swete spirite which hath surely sealed you vnto eternall saluation be with you and strengthen you in your ioyfull iourney towards the celestial HierusaleÌ„ my deare frend and most faythfull brother M. Bradforde to the setting forth of Gods glory and to your eternall ioy in Christ Amen Euer since the good M. Philpot shewed me your last letter my deare hart in the lord I haue continued in great heuynes perplexitie â–ª not for any hurt or discoÌ„moditie that I caÌ„ perceaue comming towardes you vnto whom doubtles death is made life and great felicitie but for the greate losse that gods chuch here in England shal sustaine by the taking away of so godly worthy and necessary an instrument as the lord hath made you to be Oh that my life a thousand such wretched liues moe might goe for yours Oh why doth god suffer me such other Caterpillers to liue that caÌ„ do nothing but consume the almes of the church and take away you so worthy a workmaÌ„ labourer in the Lords vineyard But woe
so desire it and purify hymselfe in all puritie so farre wyll he be from carnall libertye and as the elect of God he will endue and apparell hymself daily wyth the apparell of the elect vsyng praier night and day which is an other propertie of gods children To thys certaintie all the creatures of god cal vs concernyng theyr creation and vse This assuraunce gods firste commaundement requireth vnder payne of dampnation the gospell of god and all hys promyses the sacramentes the substance of them which is Christ Iesus our Sauiour doth aboue al thyngs require it of euery one that is baptised and brought into gods churche Nothing elles dothe GOD to require of vs as thus to be persuaded of him for out of it floweth al godlines to god man So that it cannot be but they take Satans part which go about to let or hynde this certainty in themselues and in others The whiche thing in that you do in dede howsoeuer you meane I cannot but as I haue done often before admonishe you of it eftesones that your bloodes may be on your own heads if you perseuer in your obstinacy and yf you do it obstinately and not ignorauntly From the whych I beseche almightye God to deliuer you Amen 1. Ianuary Iohn Bradford A letter of M. Thomas Whyttel writen to a frende of his declaryng the shamefull tyranny of bloody Bonner who lyke a right angell of Sathan to peruerte hys fayth and driue hym from God buffeted him with hys butcherly fystes and moste cruelly beate hym VPon thursday which was the .x. of Ianuary the bishop of London sent for me out of the Porters lodge where I had bene all nyght lying vppon the earth vpon a pallet where I had as payneful a nyght of sicknes as euer I had I prayse god And when I came before hym he talked with me many things of the sacrament so grosly as is not worthy to be rehearsed And amongest other thynges he asked me if I would haue come to Masse that mornyng if he had sent for me Wherunto I answered that I would haue come to hym at his commaundement but to your Masse sayd I I haue small affection At which answer he was displeased sore and sayd I should be fed with bread and water And as I folowed hym through the great hall he turned backe and beate me wyth hys fifte fyrst on the one cheke and then on the other as the signe of my bearing did many daies after apeare And then he sent me into a little salthouse They that saw his face thus miserably arayed much worse then he reporteth can beare witnes to the truth hereof S. paule commaundeth that a bishop should be no fyghter or stryker Titus ▪ ◠where I had no straw nor bed but lay two nightes on a table slept soundly I thanke God Then vpon the Friday nexte after I was brought to my lord who gaue me many faire words and sayd he would be good to me And so he goyng to Fullam cōmitted me to D. Harpesfield that he and I in that after noone should common together and drew out certaine articles wherunto if I would subscribe I should be dismissed But D. Harpesfield sent not for me till night thē persuaded me very sore to forsake my opinions I answered I held nothing but the truth therfore I could not so lightl◠turne therefrō So I thought I shuld at that time haue had no more adde but he had made a certain bil which the Register pulled out of his bosome red it The bil indede was very easely made therfore more daūgerous The children of god when they see their imperfections frailty falles offences are many tymes brought to such heauines doubting mistrust of gods mercye towardes them as though he had cleane forsaken them as you may reade psal 31.22.77 but then waxe they most strōg receiue newe comforts again in Christ as here you may see in this man of God For the effect therof was to detest al errors and heresies against the sacrament of the aulter and other sacramentes to beleue the fayth of the catholike church and liue accordingly To this bil I did in dede set to my hād being much desired coūselled so to do the flesh being alwais desirous to haue liberty I cōsidered not throughly the incōueniēce that myght come therupō respite I desired to haue had but earnestly they required me to subscribe Now when I had so done I had litle ioy therof For by by my mind consciēce told me by gods word that I had done euil by such a sleight to shake of the swete crosse of Christ and yet it was not my seeking as god he knoweth but altogether came of thē O the crafty subtilty of Satā in his mēbers Let euery man the god shal deliuer into their hands take good hede cleane fast to Christ for they wil leaue no corner of his cōsciēce vnsought but wil attempt all gileful and subtile meanes to corrupt him and make hym to fal both from God and his truthe But yet let no man dispaire of gods help for Peter did fal rise again And Dauid saith a righteous man though he fal he shal not be cast away for the Lord vp holdeth him with hys hand For I for my part haue felt my infirmities and yet I haue foūd gods present helpe comfort in time of neede I most humbly thanke hym therfore The night after I had subscribed I was sore greued and for sorrow of cōscience could not slepe For in the deliueraūce of my body out of bondes whiche I myght haue had I could find no ioy nor comforte but styll was in my conscience tormented more and more being assured by gods spirit his word that I through euill councel aduisement had done amisse and bothe with disquietnes of mynd and with my other cruel handling I was very sickly lying vpō the ground when the keper came whō I desired to praye D. Harpesfield to come to me and so he dyd And when he came and the Register with him I told hym that I was not well at ease but specially I told him I was greued very much in my conicience mynd because I had subscribed and I sayd that my conscience had so accused me through the iust iudgement of God and hys worde that I had felt hell in my conscience and Sathan ready to deuoure me and therfore I pray you M. Harpesfield said I lette me haue the byll agayne for I will not stande to it So he commaūded it to be fetched and gaue it me and suffred me to pul out my name wherof I was right glad when I had so done although death should followe And hereby I had experience of gods prouidēce and mercy towardes me who trieth his people and suffceth them to fal but not to be lost For in the myddes of thys temptation and trouble he gaue me warning
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
continuallye woorke in fayth labour in loue perseuer in hope and be pacient in all your tribulations and persecutions euen vnto the ende and gloryous comming of Christ Coloss 2. Phil 2. 1. Pet. 3 Mat. 10 Luk. 11. these shall be earnestly to exhort and besech you in Christ that as ye haue receaued the Lord Iesus euen so to walke rooted in hym and not to be afrayde of anye terrour of your aduersaryes be they neuer so many and mighty and you on the other side neuer so fewe and weake for the battaile is the Lordes And as in tymes paste God was with Abraham Moses Isaac Dauid the Machabees and other and fought for them and deliuered all their enemyes into their hands euen so hath he promised to be with vs also vnto the worldes ende and so to assist strengthen and helpe vs that no man shall bee able to withstande vs. Math. 28. Iosua 1. For as I was with Moses so will I bee with thee sayeth God and neither leaue thee nor forsake thee Be stronge and bolde neither feare nor dread for the Lorde thy God is with thee whether so euer thou goest Nowe if God be on our side who caÌ„ be agaynst vs Rom. 8. In thys our spirituall warfare is no man ouercome vnlesse he trayterouslye leaue forsake his Captaine either cowardly caste awaye his weapons or willingly yeld him self to hys enemies either fearfully turne his backe and flye Be strong therfore in the Lord deare brethren and in the power of hys myght and put on all the armour of god Eph. 6. that ye may be able to stand stedfast against the craftye assaultes of the deuill Now what weapons ye muste fight with all 2. Cor 11.12 Act. 21. learne of S. Paule a champion both much exercised and also most valiaunt and inuincible For we muste thinke none other but that the lyfe of man is a perpetuall warfare vpon earth as the examples of all godly men throughout al ages do declare The valiaunt warriour S. Paule being deliuered froÌ„ the hands of the vngodly and that so many tymes from so many extreme perils and daungers of death as he him selfe doth witnesse is fayne to coÌ„mitte hym selfe in the end to the rough waters of the sea where he was in greate perill and ieoperdie of his own life Act. 12. yet was god alwayes to the greate comforte of all that heare of it moste readye to comfort and succour hym gloriously deliuered hym out of al hys troubles so that no man that did inuade him could do hym any harme in the end he was coÌ„pelled to say I haue fynyshed my course 2. Tim. 4. Phil. 1. Rom. 15. the time of my departyng is at hand I long to be losed to be wyth christ which thing is best of al most hartely desiring death These things be wrytteÌ„ for our learning coÌ„fort be to vs a sure obligatioÌ„ that if we submit our selues to god his holy word no maÌ„ shal be able to hurt vs that he will deliuer vs from al troubles yea eueÌ„ froÌ„ death also vntyll such tyme as we couet desyre to dye Heb. 12. Let vs therfore runne with pacience vnto the battel that is set before vs loke vnto Iesus the captayn fynysher of our fayth after his example for the rewards sake that is set out vnto vs paciently beare the crosse despise the shame for all that will liue godly in Christ Iesu shall suffer persecution 2. Tim. 3. Math. 3.4 Christ is no soner baptised declared to the world to be the sonne of god but SathaÌ„ is by by ready to teÌ„pt him Which thyng we must loke for also yea the more we shal encrease in fayth and vertuous liuing the more strongly will SathaÌ„ assault vs whoÌ„ we muste learne after the example of Christ to fyght agaynst ouercome wyth the holy sacred scriptures Eph. 6. Math. 4 word of God which is our heauenly armour sword of the spirit And let the fasting of christ while he was tempted in the wildernesse be vnto vs an example of sober liuing not for the space of fortye dayes as the papistes doe fondly fansye of their owne braynes but as long as we are in the wildernes of this wretched lyfe assaulted of Sathan who like a roaring LyoÌ„ walketh about ceaseth not seking our vtter destruction 1. Pet. 5. neither caÌ„ the seruauntes of god at any time come stand before god that is lead a godly lyfe walke innocently before god but Sathan commeth also among theÌ„ Iob. 1.3 that is he dayly accuseth fyndeth faulte vexeth persecuteth troubleth the godly for it is the nature propertie of the deuil alwayes to do harme to hurt vnlesse he be forbidden of god for vnlesse god do permit him he can do nothyng at al Math. 8 no not so much as enter into a fylthy hogge but we are more of price them many hogges before God if we cleaue vnto hys sonne by fayth Let vs therfore knowing Sathans deceites and rancour Eph. 6. walke the more warely and take vnto vs the shielde of fayth wherwith we maye bee able to quenche and ouercome all the fierye and deadlye dartes of the wicked Let vs take to vs the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirite which is the word of god learne to vse the same according to the exaÌ„ple of our grauÌ„d Captain Christ Let vs fast pray continually Mat. 4. Math. â—7 for this frantike kynde of deuills goeth not out otherwise as Christe doth teathe vs but by faithfull prayers fasting which his true abstinence sobernes of liuing if we vse the same according to the doctrine of the gospell word of God Fasting is acceptable to god if it be done withoute hypocrisie that is to say if we vse it to this entent that therby this mortal body disobedient carcase may be tamed broughte vnder the subiectioÌ„ of the spirit and againe if we fast to this intent that we may spare wherwith to helpe succour oure poore nedy brethren This fast do the true christians vse al the daies of their life although among the common sort of people remaineth yet stil that supersticious kind of fasting which god so earnestly reproueth by his Prophet Esay Esay 58 For as for true chastening of the body abstayning froÌ„ vice with shewing mercy towardes our nedy neighbours we wil neither vnderstand nor heare of but still thinke with the Iewes that we do god a great pleasure wheÌ„ we fast that we then faste wheÌ„ we abstaine froÌ„ one thing fill our bellies with an other And verely in this poynt doth our superstition muche excede the superstition of the Iewes for we neuer read that they euer toke it for a fast to abstayne froÌ„ fleshe and to eate either fyshe or whyte meate as they cal it To fastyng
of mercye in Christe blesse you both kepe you both and sende you both aswell to do as I wishe to my dearest and best beloued frendes and brethren in the Lorde I praye you continue to praye for me as I doubte not you doe and so geue thankes to God for me for he is good and hys mercye endureth foreuer The daye will come when we shall meere together and neuer departe God send it shortly Amen Iohn Bradforde To the worshipfull Syr VVilliam Fitzwilliams then being Knyghte Marshall of the Kinges Benche THe peace of god proper to his people the holy ghost worke daily and depely in your hart through Iesus Christ our Lorde Amen I thanke my Lorde and God throughe hys Sonne our mediatour and sauioure for hys mercyes and graces geuen to your Mastership the whiche I beseche hys goodnesse to encrease in you continuallye to youre euerlastyng comforte in hym By hys mercyes towardes you I meane not in your landes possessions offices naturall wysedome rychts healthe forme c. whiche in deede be giftes of God geuen to you of hys mercye withoute your desertes and therefore shoulde he bee daylye of you praysed for the same as I doubte not but he is for elles your ingratitude woulde prouoke hym to punyshe you in them and by them if he loue you but I meane hys mercyes towardes you in the knowledge and loue of hys truthe in religion The whiche benefite in that you amongest the not manye of youre estate and condition 1. Co. 1 as Sainte Paule witnesseth haue receaued as a verye testimoniall of youre election in Christ I woulde bee sorye that you shoulde neede anye suche as I am to moue you to thankefulnesse for I am not in a mammerynge whether you be thankful to god for thys great mercy which is much more to be estemed thē al that euer you haue I hūbly besech God in hys Christ to encrease the same in you to the very end And that by me he myght doe the same in some part I thought it good and also my bounden dutie deepely deserued on your behalfe towardes me for the whiche I beseche the Lord to reward you to send to you thys treatise of the doings of Maister Ridley at Oxford concernyng hys disputation about the Sacrament This treatyse of M. Ridleyes disputation which he sent to hym you shal read in the booke of Martyrs Fol. 963. I know that there hath gone diuerse copies abroade but none of them were as I knowe thys is for I haue translated it out of that copye in Latten which was corrected with hys owne hand whiche came vnto me not without hys own consente and therfore dare I be bolde to saye that thys hath not before beene seene on thys sorte In readyng whereof you shall well see thys I speake to be most true and also that whiche causeth me to suppresse commendations of the thyng the excellencye and worthines therof I meane because I thinke I cānot speake any thing so worthely as vndoubtedly these hys doings do deserue Vnto your Maistership I sende them as a token of my dutie towardes you thereby to declare that as you deserue muche of me so I woulde shewe my selfe willynge to recompence the same if I coulde but in that I can not and also youre doinge is simplye in respecte of GOD and hys cause I wyll accordyng to your expectation leaue the recompence vnto hym in the meane season prayinge hym that of hys goodnes he would as encrease the knowledge and loue of hys truth in you so strenghen you after your vocation both purelye to walke and manfullye to confesse hys Gospel if he shall thynke it needeful to call you to that honoure for surelye of all honours it is the greatest to suffer any thyng for Christes sake Most happye maye that man thynke hymselfe that hath any thyng for hys cause to lose As he shall bee sure to fynde for hys owne parte eternall felicitie and honoure endles so shall hys posteritye euen temporallye proue thys to be moste true For gods sake therefore ryghte worshipful Syr consider well thys geare and waye it not as the worlde and your mother witte wyll moue you to do but as the word of God doth teach you there shal you see thys I speake of to bee matter of much myrth ioye and glory though to the world it seme cleane contrary Gods good spirite alwayes guide you to hys glorye geue you the spirit of prayer continually to praye that God neuer further tempt you then he will make you able to beare Amen In that thys copie is not so fayre written as I wishe and woulde haue had it I shall desire you to consider where I am and how I can not haue thinges so done as I woulde and therefore you haue it as maye bee when it may not be as I woulde it were and shoulde be From the Kinges Benche Your humble Iohn Bradforde To my good brother Maister Coker at Maldon in Essex ALthoughe I haue presentlye both litle tyme and lesse oportunitie otherwyse to write as I would yet as I maye I thoughte better to write somethynge thē vtterlye to be silente For if I shoulde not so do hauing so conuenient a messenger as I mighte towardes you incurre the suspision of ingratitude and forgetfulnesse so might I not satisfye the desire of thys my poore brother and frende Iohn Searchfield which cōmeth vnto you for helpe and comforte in this troublesome time Thys dare I say that the man feareth God and for Gods sake and conscience towardes hym susteyneth both losse and labour For our common fathers sake therefore in Christ helpe him to some hole to hyde him selfe in for a litle time if conueniently you may and remember that he that receaueth one of Christes litle ones receaueth Christe as he him selfe in the last day will acknowledge Which laste daye let vs often loke on and set before vs as the thing which most maketh to our comfort Nowe we sorrowe and sighe to see the sea swell and rage on this sort as it doth And to confesse the truth we haue double cause as wel because we haue deserued this sower sauce by reasō of our vnthankfulnes and many sinnes which the Lord pardon as because gods glory is troden vnder foote But thys comfort we haue that as God our good father will not the death of a sinner so wyll he order this geare most to his glory and our ioye and comforte if we repent now and hartely lament our euilles vse earnest humble and often yea continuall prayer and caste our selues wholy on hym and hys goodnes still labouring to lothe thys life and longing for the life to come for the which we shoulde accompte thys as it is a very vale of miserye much to be mourned in because the time of our habitation herein and exile is prolonged God graunte vs hys holy spirite to strengthen vs in his truth professed that we may perseuer to the end in the
ioyfull and couragious confessing of his Christ Amen I pray you continue as I trust you do to kepe both soule and body pure in gods seruice Striue to enter in at that narrowe gate thoughe you leaue your landes and goodes behinde you It is not loste which for Christes sake we leaue but lent to a great vsurye Remēber that this time is come but to trye vs. God make vs faythfull to the end God kepe vs alwayes as his children Amen I pray you cōmende me to Maister Osburne to al our good brethren in the Lord. The peace of Christ be with vs all Amen Amen Yours in Christ Iohn Bradford To a frend of hys instructyng hym howe he shoulde aunsweare hys aduersaryes MY good brother our mercifull God and deare father through Christ open your eyes effectually to see and your harte ardentlye to desire the euerlasting ioy which he hath prepared for his slaughter sheepe that is for suche as shrinke not frō his truth for any stormes sake Amen When you shall come before the Magestrates to geue an answere of the hope which is in you do it with al reuerence simplicitye And because you maye be somthyng afrayd by the power of the Magestrates cruelty which they wil threaten against you I wold you set before you the good father Moses to followe his example for he set the inuisible God before his eyes of fayth and with them loked vpon God his glorious maiestie and power as with his corporal eyes he saw Pharao and al hys fearefull terrors So do you my dearely beloued let your inward eyes geue such light vnto you that as you know you are before the magistrates so much more you and they also are presente before the face of god whiche will geue such wisedome to you fearing him and sekyng his prayse as the enemies shal wonder at and further he wil so order their hartes and doings that they shal will they nyll they serue gods prouidence towards you which you cā not auoyde though you would as shal be most to his glory and your euerlasting cōfort Therfore my good brother let your whole studie be only to please God put hym alwaies before your eyes for he is on your right hand least you shoulde be moued he is faythfull and neuer will suffer you to be tempted aboue that he wil make you able to beare Yea euery heare of your head he hath numbred so that one of them shall not perishe without his good will which can not bee but good vnto you in that he is become your father through Christ therfore as he hath geuē you to beleue in him God encrease this be liefe in vs all so doth he nowe graciously geue vnto you to suffer for his names sake the which you ought with all thankefulnes to receaue in that you are made worthy to drinke of the self same cuppe which not only the very sōnes of god haue dronke of before you but euen the very natural sonne of God him selfe hath brought you good lucke Oh he of his mercy make vs thankeful to pledge hym agayn Amen Because the chiefest matter they will trouble you go about to deceaue you withal is the Sacrament not of Christs body and blod but of the alter as they cal it therby destroying the sacrament which Christ instituted I would you noted these 2. things First that the sacrament of the alter which the priest offreth in the Masse eateth priuately with hym selfe is not the Sacrament of Christes body and blood instituted by hym as Christes institution plainly written setforth in the Scriptures being compared to their vsing of it playnly doth declare Agayne if they talke wyth you of Christes sacrament instituted by hym whether it be christes body or no aunswer them that as to the eyes of your reason to your taste and corporall senses it is bread and wyne and therfore the scripture calleth it after the cōsecration so euē so to the eyes tast and senses of your fayth which ascendeth to the ryght hand of God in heauen where Christe sitteth it is in verye deede Christes body and bloud which spritually your soule fedeth on to euerlastyng lyfe in fayth and by fayth euē as your bodye presently feedeth on the sacramentall breade and sacramentall wyne By this meanes as you shal not allow transubstantiation nor none of their popish opinions so shal you declare the sacrament to be a matter of faythe and not of reason as the papistes make it For they deny gods omnipotencye in that they say Christ is not there if bread be there but faythe loketh on the omnipotency of god ioyned with his promise and doubteth not but that Christ is able to geue that he promyseth vs spiritually by faith the bread still remaynyng in substance as well as yf the substaunce of bread were taken away for Christ saith not in any place this is no bread But of thys geare god shal instruct you if you hang on hys promise and praye for the power and wisedome of hys spyryt which vndoubtedly as you are bounde to loke for prayeng for it so he hath bound hymselfe by hys promyse to geue it the which thyng he graunt vnto vs both and to al hys people for his names sake through Christ our lord Amen Iohn Bradford ¶ A letter writen to a deare frende of hys wherein he entreateth as briefely so moste perfectlye godly soundly and pithely of gods holy election free grace and mercy in Iesus Christ FAythe of gods election I meane to beleue that we be in very dede the chyldren of god through Chryst and shal be for euer inheritours of euerlastyng lyfe throughe the onely grace of God our father in the same Christ is of all thynges which god requireth of vs ▪ not only most principall but also the whole summe Rom 14 Heb. 11. Exod. 20 so that wtout this faith there is nothyng we do that can please god And therfore as god first requyreth it in saying I am the Lord thy God c. that is I remit thee thy synnes and geue thee my holy spirite and for euer wyll I kepe thee Math. 6. so our Sauiour would haue vs to be perswaded when we come to praye and therfore teacheth yea he commaundeth vs to call God our father whose power were not infinite as we professe in the fyrst article of our beliefe where we call him expressely our almighty father if we shall doubt of his finall fauour And therfore I cannot but much meruell at some men which seme godlye and yet are in thys behalfe too malicious both to God and man For what is more seemely to God then mercy whiche is moste magnifyed of the electe chyldren of God And what is more seemelye to man then humilitye the which is not nor cannot bee in dede but in the electe of god for they alone attribute nothyng at all to themselues continuallye but dampnation Ieremy 9. that in God only