blood for that onely is good But of this be you sure the Lord will shortly call you to account for all the innocent blood that is shed within this Realm which you have brought into a most woful case and made many a heavy heart in the same and moe I perceive you will make so long as the Lord for our sins will suffer you to prosper and untill the time that your own iniquity be full ripe But then be you sure the Lord will sit in Judgement upon you as well as you do now upon his Saints and will reward you according to your deservings To whom with my whole heart I commit my cause and he will make answer for me when the full time of my refreshing cometh In the mean space I will keep silence with this that I have said trusting that I have sufficiently discharged my conscience in confessing my Faith and Religion to you declaring of what Church I am even of the Catholick Church of Jesus Christ which was well known to be here in England in our late good Kings dayes by two special tokens which cannot deceive me nor suffer me to be deceived that is to say The pure Preaching of his holy Word and the due administration of the holy Sacraments which is not to be seen in your Romish Church and therefore cannot be called the Church and Spouse of Christ I believe in the holy Trinity and all the other Articles of the Christian Faith contained in the three Creeds and finally all the Canonicall Scripture to be true in every sentence and I detest all Sects both of Arrians and Anabaptists or any other that divide themselves from the true Church of Christ which is his Mysticall Body the Ground and Pillar of Truth and the very House of the living God And if for these things you take away my life and make your selves guilty of my Blood you may for I am in your hands as the Sheep brought to the Shambles abiding the grace of the Butcher And be you sure your judgement sleepeth not but when you cry Peace peace and all is safe then shall your plagues begin like the sorrows of a woman travelling with childe 1 Thes 5. according to Christs infallible Poâ—mise This kinde of answer my dear heart it shall be best for you to make and by Gods grace I do intend to take the same order my self in time to come when the Lord shall vouch me worthy of that great dignity whereunto he hath called you And if they shall laugh you to scorn as I know they will saying thou art a Fool and an unlearned Ass-head and art able to make answer to nothing c. care not you for it but still commit your Cause unto God who will make answer for you tell them that they have bin answered again and again of divers godly and learned men but all will not help for you have one solution for all manner of questions even a fair Fire and Fagots this will be the end of your disputations Therefore I pray you to trouble me no more but do that which you are appointed when God shall permit the time I am no better then Christ his Apostles and other of my good Brethren that are gone before me This kinde of answer will cut their combs most and edifie the people that stand by so that the same be done coldly with sobriety meekness and patience as I heard say our sweet Brethren Thomas Harland and John Oswald did at Lewes in Sussex to the great rejoycing of the children of God that were in those parts and I heard say that they were dissolved from this earthly tabernacle at Lewes on Saturday last and were condemned but the Wednesday before so that we may perceive the Papists have quick work in hand 2 Chron. 2. that they make such haste to have us home to our heavenly Father Therefore let us make our selves ready to ride in the fiery Chariot leaving these sorry Mantles and old Clokes behinde us for a little time which God shall restore unto us again in a more glorious wise My good Brother Harry you shall understand that bragging John T. hath beguiled his Keepers who trusted him too well and is run away from them and hath brought the poor men into great danger by the same The one of them is cast by the Councils Commandment into the Gate-house at Westminster the other is fled forth of the Country for fear Thus you may see the fruits of our Free-will men that made so much boast of their own strength But that house which is not builded surely upon the unmoveable Rock will not long stand against the boisterous winds and storms that blow so strongly in these dayes of Trouble But my dearly beloved Brother blessed be God for you and such as you be which have played the parts of wise Builders You have digged down past the sand of your own natural strength and beneath the earth of your own worldly wisdome and are now come to the hard Stone and unmoveable Rock Christ who is your onely Keeper and upon him alone you have builded your Faith most firmly without doubting mistrust or wavering Therefore neither the storms nor tempests winds nor weathers that Satan and all his wily workmen can bring against you with the very Gates of Hell to help them shall ever be able once to move your House much less to overthrow it for the Lord God himself and no man is the Builder thereof and hath promised to preserve and keep the same safe for ever Unto his most merciful defence therefore I do heartily commit you and all your good company desiring him for his sweet Son Jesus Christs sake to confirm and strengthen you all that you may be constant unto the very end that after the final victory is once gotten you may receive the immercessible Crown of Glory of Gods free gift through his great mercy in Jesus Christ our alone Saviour To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour glory praise thanks power rule and dominion for ever and evermore Amen The Blessing of God be with you all John Careles To my most dear and faithfull Brother T. V. THe everlasting peace of God in Iesus Christ the continual joy and comfort of his most pure holy and mighty Spirit with the increase of Faith and lively feel ng of his mercy be with you my dear heart in the Lord and faithful lovâ—ng brother T. V. to the full accomplishing of that good work whâ—ch â—e â—ath so graciously begun in you that the same by all means may be to the setting forth of his glory to the commodity of his poor afflicted Congregation and to the sweet comfort and quietness of your Conscience in him now and evermore Amen With such due honour love and reverence as it becometh me to bear unto the sweet Saints dearly beloved children of God I have me most heartily commended unto you my dear Brother V.
good experience of these manner of Temptations both by your self and other whom you know well were the beloved of God Satan overcome in Gods Saints Be of good chear therefore dear heart be of good chear for now Satan hath wrought all his malice he hath done all that he can and hath shot off all his last Pieces wherewith he had thought to have done most mischief but now he seeth he cannot prevail the strong Tower of your Faith being so invincible he will pluck up all his Tents and get him to some other place to practise the like assaults and then will the Angels of God come and minister unto you the most sweet and heavenly Consolations of the holy Ghost To him therefore who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that ever we can desire or think I do most heartily commit you with all the rest of your Godly Prison-fellows who comfort strengthen and defend you with his grace mighty operation of his holy Spirit as he hath hitherto done that you having a most glorious Victory over the subtile Serpent and all his wicked seed may also receive the Crown of Glory and Immortality prepared for you before the foundations of the World were laid and is so surely kept for you in the hands of him who is infallible that the Devil Sin Death or Hell shall never be able to deprive you of the same The blessing of God be with you now and for evermore Amen Pray pray pray for me Your own for ever John Careles To my good Sister Mrs. Cotton THe Peace of God in Jesus Christ the eternall Comforts of his sweet Spirit be with you my dear and faithfull Sister to the full accomplishment of that good work which he hath most graciously begun in you that the same may be effectuall to the setting forth of his glory and to your everlasting Consolation in him Amen My loving and faithfull Sister in the Lord I thank you for all your loving kindness shewed unto me but especially for your godly remembrance of me in your fervent and faithfull Prayers and for your most godly and comfortable Letter whereby you do not onely much increase my joy and comfort but also put me in remembrance of my duty towards you Blessed be the Lord our God Gods great gift in women which of his great mercy hath so beautified his Church in these dayes that even unto many godly women he hath given most excellent gifts of knowledge and understanding of his Truth so that they are not onely well able to inform their own Consciences in all things necessary to Salvation but also most sweetly to comfort their sorrowfull Brethren and Sisters that sustain any trouble for the Testimony of Gods Truth yea and that which is more even in the middest of their great Conflicts of Conscience Of which most happy number of godly and virtuous women my dear heart you are one and that of the chiefest being plentifully endued with the gifts of Gods most gracious Spirit as it doth full well appear in your daily doings God onely have the praise therefore Forasmuch then as God hath given you the gift to write Note how God sometime giveth comfort by weaker vessels I shall most heartily desire you to let me hear from you sometimes be it never so little for truly I tâ—ke great Comfort and Courage thereby specially in my poor Conscience which is sore assaulted of subtile Satan and in a manner oppressed of my sin Pray dear S ster that God may give me true hearty and earnest Repentance and increase my Faith for they are both the good gifts of God onely and farre pass the reach of my power to take at my pleasure Therefore dear Sister if you w ll help me to beg the same of our dear loving Father I am sure that he both can and will gâ—ve them me in his good time And as for the fear of Death or terrour of the Fire I most heartily thank my good God I feel it not onely it is mine own sins and unthankefulness which holdeth hard battel and wageth strong warre against me which onely goeth about to separate me from my good Captain Christ that I should not enjoy his glorious victory but God being on my side as I am sure he is that cannot continually prevâ—il against me Though God for a time permit Satan to take his pleasure on me as he did upon Job yet I doubt not but in the end all shall turn to my profit through the Merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ To whose most mercifull defence I commit you dear Sister with all the rest of the Lords Elect. Farewell in Christ Your unfeignedly John Careles Pray pray pray pray To my dear Brother T. V. THe everlasting peace of God in Jesus Christ the continual Comforts of his most pure and holy Spirit be with you my most dear friend and faithful Brother V. to the increase of your Faith and comfort of your sorrowful Spirit which is to the Father a sweet Sacrifice through Christ for whose sake he will never despise your humble and contrite heart but doth favourably accept the same and will in most ample wise perform the desire thereof to his Glory and your eternal Comfort in him In the mids of my manifold Crosses and Troubles wherein I am constrained to flee unto God for refuge and succour by earnest and faithful Prayer I cannot forget you my dear heart in the Lord but esteeming your state for mine own I do pour forth my complaint for yâ—u as I do for my self and rather more as I think present need doth require desiring most heartily to hear of the good success of the same in yâ—u The Lord God for his mercy sake accomplish my desi e as I doubt not but he will when he seeth it good and most to his glory and to your comfort and commodity O that I might once see you so merry in Christ Psal 57. as you have just cause to be that you might say with David Awake my glory awake lute and harp bring forth the psaltery with the merry song that I might sing a new song of praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord for the light of his favourable countenance his help and deliverance Oh! Psal 45. that would refresh me as a most precious Oyle and gladden my poor heart which is assaulted with sorrow moe wayes then one Comfort for a sick Conscience I doubt not but the same shall by your means receive much comfort though for a time it doth mourn with you that we may be made both glad together yea and that with such gladness as shall continue for ever But in the mean space I say most happy are you Mat. 9. that so heartily mourn the absence of the Bridegroom If you were not a wedding-childe you could never do it Onely Christs true Disciples do mourn for his absence therefore shall they doubtless rejoyce at his
with all earnest and faithfull remembrance of you in my daily Prayers thanking God right heartily that you do likewise remember me in yours assuring you that my poor heart doth daily feel great Consolation thereby God onely have the praise for the same and all other his Benefits Ah my dear heart in the Lord well is me that ever I was born that God of his great mercy and infinite goodness hath used me most miserable wretch at any time as his instrument to minister any thing unto you either by word or writing that might be an occasion of your joy and comfort in the Lord and a provoking of you to praise and thanksgiv ng unto God for the same as your most loving and godly Letter seemeth to import Oh happy am I that the Lord hath appointed me unto so good a ground to sow his seed upon but much more happy are you whose heart the Lord hath prepared and made so meet to receive the same so effectuously gâ—ving thereto the sweet showers and heavenly dews of his grace and holy Spirit that it may bring forth fruit in due season accordingly the increase whereof we shall shortly reap together with perfect joy and gladness and that continually Therefore my dear Brother I say unto you as good Elizabeth did to her Cousin Mary Happy are you Luke 1. and happy shall you be for evermore because you have believed The most sweet and faithful Promises of your Redeemer Jesus Christ you have surely laid up in the treasury of your heart his comfortable Callings you have faithfully heard his loving Admonitions you have humbly obeyed and therefore you shall never come into judgement Remission of sins your sins shâ—ll never be remembred for your Saviour hath cast them all into he bottom of the Sea Micah 7. he hath removed them from you as far as the East is from the West Psal 103. and hath given you for an everlasting possâ—ssion his Justification and Holiness So that now no Creature neither in heaven nor in earth shall be able to accuse you before the Throne of the heavenly King Satan is now judged he is now cast out from you he hath no part in you you are wholly given unto Christ which will not lose you your stedfast Faith in him hath overcome that sturdy and bragging Prince of the World Christ hath given you the final victory over him and all his Army that they shall never hurt you What would you have more Oh my dear heart how great treasures are laid up in store for you and how glorious a Crown is already made and prepared for you And albeit the holy Ghost doth bear witness of all these things in your heart Testimony of Gods Spirit and maketh you more sure and certain thereof then if you had all the outward Oracles in the world yet I being certainly perswaded and fully assured by the testimony of Gods Spirit in my Conscience of your eternal and sure Salvation in our sweet Saviour Jesus Christ have thought it good yea and my bounden duty not onely at this time to write unto you and to shew my joyful heart in that behalf but also by the Word and Commandment of Christ to pronounce and affirm in the Name and Word of the heavenly King Jehovah and in the behalf of his sweet Son Iesus Christ our Lord to whom all knees shâ—ll bow whom all creatures shall worship and also by the impulsion of the holy Ghost by whose power and strength all the faithful be regenerate I do I say p onounce to thee my dear B o her T. V. that thou art already a Cit zen of Heaven The Lord thy God in whom thou dost put all thy trust for his dear Sons sake in whom thou dost also undoubtedly believe â—a h freely forgiven thee all thy sins clearly released all thine in quâ—ties and fully pardoned all thine offences be they never so many so grievous or so great and will never remember them any more to Condemnation As truly as he liveth he will not have thee dye the death but hath verily determined purposed and eternally decreed that thou shalt live with him for ever Thy Sore shall be healed and thy Wounds bound up even of himself for his own Names sake He doth not nor will not look upon thy sins in thee but he respecteth and beholdeth thee in Christ in whom thou art lively graffed by Faith in his blood and in whom thou art most assuredly elected and chosen to be a sweet vessel of his Mercy and Salvation and wast thereto predestinate in him before the foundation of the world was laid In testimony and earnest whereof he hath given thee his good and holy Spirit which worketh in thee Faith Love and unfeigned Repentance with other godly Vertues contrary to the Corruption of thy Nature Also he hath commanded me this day although a most unworthy wretch to be a witness hereof by the Ministry of his holy Word Experience of Christ working in his Church grounded upon the truth of his most faithful Promises the which thou believing shalt live for ever Believest thou this my dear heart I know well thou dost believe The Lord increase thy Faith and give thee a lively feeling of all his mercies whereof thou art warranted and assured by the testimony of the holy Ghost who confirm in thy Conscience to the utter overthrowing of Satan and those his most hurtful dubitations whereby he is accustomed to molest and vex the true Children of God all that I have said and by Gods grace I will as a witness thereof confirm and seal the same with my blood for a most certain truth Wherefore my good Brother praise the Lord with a joyful heart and give him thanks for this his exceeding great mercy casting away all dubitation and wavering yea all sorrow of heart and pensiveness of mind for this the Lord your God and most dear and loving Father commandeth you to do by me nay rather by his own Mouth and Word pronounced by me But now my dear Brother after that I have done my message or rather the Lords message indeed I could finde in my heart to write two or three sheets of paper declaring the joy I bear in my heart for you mine own bowels in the Lord yet the time being so short as you do well know I am here constrained to make an end desiring you to pardon my slackness and to forgive my great negligence towards you promising you still that so long as my poor life doth last my prayer shall supply that my pen doth want as knoweth the Almighty God to whose most merciful defence I do heartily commit you and all other his dear children as well as though I had rehearsed them by Name desiring them most heartily to remember me in their hearty and daily Prayers as I know right well they do for I feel the daily comfort and commodity thereof and therefore I neither will nor can