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<DATE>2012-09-06</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<STC T="W">D1719</STC>
<STC T="C">W41420</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]61296959</BIBNO>
<VID>180526</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P><HI>DIVINE</HI> CONSOLATIONS FOR MOURNERS in SION: Being an EXTRACT of certain Choyce EPISTLES OF DYING MARTYRS To each other, and to their Fellow Pri&s;oners for the CAUSE OF CHRIST, <HI>In the Times of Cruell and Fiery Per&s;ecution.</HI></P>
<P>Wherein is much Variety of &s;uitable matter of Meditation for all &s;uch who are burthened under the Pre&s;&s;ure of their Sins and Sorrows in the&s;e EVIL TIMES.</P>
<Q><P><BIBL><HI>Matth. 5.4.</HI></BIBL> Ble&s;&s;ed are they that mourn: for they &s;hall be comforted.</P>
<P><BIBL><HI>P&s;al. 126.5.</HI></BIBL> They that &s;ow in tears, &s;hall reap in joy.</P>
<P><BIBL><HI>Ver. 6.</HI></BIBL> He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious &s;eed, &s;hall doubtle&s;s come again with rejoycing, bringing his &s;heaves with him.</P></Q>
<P>Printed in the Year 1664.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Good Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_AMong all the &s;weet and precious fruits and graces of the Spirit of God held forth unto us in the Holy Scriptures, how much are tho&s;e of <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>Love</HI> commended unto us, as the principal and leading Graces unto all other the &s;weet fruits of the Spirit wrought in the hearts of the Elect of God?</P>
<P>To in&s;tance two or three places speaking to this purpo&s;e: The Au|thor to the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> in his Catalogue of Saints,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 11.</NOTE> how highly doth he advance the actings of Faith in their hearts and lives, beginning with <HI>Abel,</HI> that ble&s;&s;ed Servant of the Lord, and Proto-Martyr of the World, whom our ble&s;&s;ed Lord and Saviour honoureth with the &s;ame honour, placing his Name in the Front of that ble&s;&s;ed Company (by the Name of <HI>Righteous Abel</HI>) who had laid down their lives in the Cau&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 23.35.</NOTE> and for the Truths of God? And for the grace of <HI>Love,</HI> in that of <HI>1 Cor. 8. the beginning;</HI> whatever In&s;tructions the Apo&s;tle had given them before, he doth as it were recall him&s;elf, and let them un|der&s;tand, that all would prove as nothing, unle&s;s it proceed from Love or Charity. And further we are taught, that although the grace of Faith be fir&s;t in laying hold of the ble&s;&s;ed object, even our Lord Je&s;us, who came into the World to &s;ave &s;inners, yet this al&s;o of Love is by the gracious working of the &s;ame good Spirit of God begotten in the Soul, even at the &s;ame in&s;tant of time with that of Faith, and from
<PB REF="3"> their fir&s;t appearing come forth as ble&s;&s;ed Twins never to part again, the &s;ame ble&s;&s;ed Spirit carrying on the work of Grace in the Soul, untill perfected in Glory. To this purpo&s;e <HI>Gal. 5.6.</HI> it's &s;aid to be <HI>Faith which worketh by Love.</HI> Al&s;o to mention no more, <HI>1 Tim. 1.14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with Faith and Love which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> A Reverend Me&s;&s;enger of Chri&s;t lately compared them to the two Arms that clasped Chri&s;t about, ac|cording to that of the Spou&s;e, <HI>Cant. 3.5. It was but a little that I pa&s;&s;ed from them, but I found him whom my Soul loveth; I held him, and would not let him go.</HI> Never do the&s;e precious gifts of the Holy Gho&s;t &s;o affect the hearts of the people of God, as when the Saints are drawn forth to cau&s;e this Light to &s;hine forth in their lives and act|ings, which u&s;ually appears in them mo&s;t clearly in times of greate&s;t Sufferings. How much are we of the&s;e times bound unto our gracious God, for the innumerable helps the Lord hath this way granted us, especially from the unwearied Labours of that man of God, of ble&s;&s;ed memory, Mr. <HI>Iohn Fox,</HI> out of who&s;e rich Volumes this little Trea|ti&s;e following is taken, being a particular brief &s;tory of him who&s;e Soul as much longed for the Crown of Martyrdome, (although he pa&s;&s;ed through the Fire to it) as any we reade of from the time of the Primi|tive Martyrs. And notwith&s;tanding the Lord of his Infinite wi&s;e|dome, denyed him that which he &s;o much thir&s;ted for, re&s;erving him (al|though in Pri&s;on) yet to be an In&s;trument who from his great experi|ences might Admini&s;ter &s;weet Con&s;olations unto others (the &s;weet Saints and Martyrs of Je&s;us) as indeed he did, to the refre&s;hing of many a good Soul, as by the &s;everal excellently Spiritual Epi&s;tles of his doth manife&s;tly appear; and by which it may undoubtedly be gathered, that him&s;elf was to be accounted among the ble&s;&s;ed number of tho&s;e that in his Generation <HI>loved the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in Sincerity.</HI></P>
<P>To tho&s;e who have ta&s;ted how good the Lord is, the&s;e following Epi&s;tles may through mercy prove unto them as that &s;peaking of <HI>David</HI> did to <HI>Ionathan,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 18.1.</NOTE> who no &s;ooner heard him, but <HI>his Soul was knit with the Soul of David, and he loved him as his own Soul.</HI> To this very end is this &s;mal thing drawn out of the afore&s;aid Volume, that the &s;orrowful Souls of &s;uch as are affected with Gods threatnings in this hour of dark|ne&s;s and temptation, may finde &s;ome refre&s;hing and &s;upport; to which
<PB REF="3"> very end al&s;o they were fir&s;t written by the Au<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hor.</P>
<P>God is greatly threatning on every &s;ide, even us who have &s;ate in peace while&s;t our Breth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en lay bleeding; yea, were filled with plen y, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">le&s;t they were &s;tripped of their comforts, and even brought near to de&s;olation: &s;urely we hav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> n t improved our precious opportunities, but with <HI>Ie&s;urun,</HI> being <HI>waxed fat, have lifted up the heel;</HI> and now may ju&s;tly fear, that our day of vi&s;itation is ha&s;tening, wherein we are like to drink of the Cup of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure, of which the Nations have begun before us. Is not the L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rd now crying aloud, as &s;ometimes to <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Oh <HI>New-England!</HI> Oh <HI>Bo&s;ton!</HI> When will thou be made clean? when will it once be? when &s;hall thy Pride and Propha|ne&s;s, Licentiou&s;ne&s;s, &V;ncleanne&s;s and &V;nrighteou&s;ne&s;s, with &s;o much cleaving to Self-intere&s;t cea&s;e to lodge within thee? Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, who hath affected the hearts of thy Rulers, &s;o as to call for &s;eeking God by Fa&s;ting and Prayer, being the way and meanes of Gods appointment for the obtaining mercy in the day of thy di&s;tre&s;s. The Lord hear thee in the day of thy &s;eeking,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joel 2.13, 14.</NOTE> and teach thee to <HI>Rent thy heart and not thy garments, and turn unto the Lord, who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a ble&s;&s;ing behind him.</HI></P>
<P>Oh that God would give his People an heart to hearken to his voice, and to turn unto him by unfeigned Repentance, for &s;urely they that yet &s;ee it not, are like &s;hortly to &s;ee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 5.13.14, 15.</NOTE> that <HI>this time is a time for the Pru|dent to keep &s;ilence, for it is an evil time,</HI> as the Prophet &s;aith; therefore let us <HI>&s;eek good and not evil, and &s;o the Lord God of Ho&s;ts &s;hall be with us: Let us hate evil and love good, and e&s;tabli&s;h Judgement in the Gate, it may be that the Lord God of Ho&s;ts will be gracious to the remnant of</HI> Jo&s;eph.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB REF="4">
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</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>A Table of the &s;everal Epi&s;tles and Letters contained in this Book.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>THe effect of <HI>John Careles</HI> his Examination before Dr. Martin, <HI>Folio</HI> 1</ITEM>
<ITEM>A Letter of Mr. <HI>Philpot</HI> to <HI>John Careles,</HI> profitable <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o be read of all them which mourn in Repentance for their &s;ins, 6</ITEM>
<ITEM>A Letter of <HI>John Careles,</HI> An&s;wering to the loving Epi&s;tle or Letter &s;ent to him before by Mr. <HI>Philpot,</HI> 10</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Bradfords</HI> Letter to <HI>Careles,</HI> 14</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Careles</HI> his Letter to Mr. <HI>Bradford,</HI> 15
<LIST>
<ITEM>His Letter to his Wife, 18</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to &s;everal faithful Brethren in Newgate, Condemned for the Te&s;ti|mony of Gods Everla&s;ting Truth, 21</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to Mr. <HI>Green,</HI> Mr. <HI>Whittel,</HI> and certain other Pri&s;oners in Newgate, Condemned and ready to be burnt for the Te&s;timony of the Lord Je&s;us, 26</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to <HI>W. Tyms</HI> Pri&s;oner in Newgate, 29</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to his dear Si&s;ter Mrs. <HI>Cotton,</HI> 33</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to his dear Brother <HI>T. V.</HI> 34</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to his dear and faithful Brother <HI>Augu&s;tine Bernher,</HI> 38</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to his dear Brother <HI>Henry Aalington,</HI> Pri&s;oner in the Lollard<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Tower, 42</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to his dear and faithful Brother <HI>T V.</HI> 47</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter of Thanks to a faithful Friend of his, by whom he had received much Comfort in his inward Troubles, 51</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to a certain godly faithful Si&s;ter, by the Name of <HI>E. K.</HI> 52</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to Mrs <HI>Agnes Gla&s;cock,</HI> 55</ITEM>
<ITEM>His brief Admonition to Mrs <HI>Agnes Gla&s;cock,</HI> written in a book of hers when &s;he came to the Pri&s;on to vi&s;it him, 57</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to Mrs. <HI>A. G.</HI> to comfort her in her Repentance after &s;he had been at Ma&s;s; fruitful for all them to reade, which are faln, and are to be rai&s;ed up again, 58</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to <HI>A. B.</HI> a frithful Mini&s;ter of the Lord, containing certain fruitful Precepts of Matrimony, 61</ITEM>
<ITEM>His Letter to Elizabeth, Wife of the &s;aid <HI>A. B.</HI> containing likewi&s;e certain godly Precepts of Matrimony pertaining to her duty, 64</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>A Letter of Mr <HI>John Bradfords,</HI> which he wrote to a faithful Woman in her heavine&s;s and trouble: mo&s;t comfortable for all tho&s;e to read that are afflicted and broken hearted for their &s;ins, 68</ITEM>
<ITEM>A worthy An&s;wer of a con&s;tant Martyr called <HI>Guy de Brez,</HI> Anno Dom. 1566. 75</ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;ame Martyr in a Letter to his Wife, acquaints her with Gods Gracious dealing with him in all his A&s;&s;aults, <HI>Ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="examination">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD><HI>THE</HI> EFFECT OF <HI>JOHN CARELES</HI> EXAMINATION before <HI>Doctor Martin</HI> briefly declared.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_FIr&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Effect of John Careles ex|amination.</NOTE> Doctor Martin <HI>calling</HI> John Careles <HI>to him in his Chamber, demanded what was his Name. To whom when the other had an&s;wered, that his name was</HI> John Careles, <HI>then began</HI> Doct. Martin <HI>to de&s;cant at his plea&s;ure upon that name, &s;aying, That it would appear by his conditions by that time he had done with him, that he would be a true Carele&s;s man indeed. And &s;o after other by-talk there &s;pent about much needle&s;s matter, then he asked him where he was born?</HI></P>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>For&s;ooth, &s;aith he, at Coventry.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Martin.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>At Coventry? what &s;o far man? How cam'&s;t thou hither? who &s;ent thee to the Kings Bench to Pri&s;on?</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>I was brought thither by a Writ, I trow;<NOTE PLACE="marg">How John Care|les was brouht to the Kings Bench</NOTE> what he was I cannot tell. I think <HI>Mr. Mar&s;hall</HI> can tell you.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mar&s;h.</SPEAKER>
<P>In good faith I cannot tell what the matter is: but in|deed my Lord Chief Ju&s;tice &s;ent him from the Barr.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Well</HI> Careles, <HI>I would wi&s;h thou &s;hould'&s;t play the wi&s;e mans part. Thou art an hand&s;om man; and it is pitty but that thou &s;hould&s;t do well, and &s;ave that which God hath bought.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>I thank your good Ma&s;ter&s;hip mo&s;t heartily: And I put you out of doubt that I am mo&s;t &s;ure and certain of my &s;alvation by Je&s;us Chri&s;t; &s;o that my &s;oul is &s;afe already, what&s;oever pains my body &s;uffer here for a little time.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Yea Marry, you &s;ay truth: for thou art &s;o Prede&s;tinate to life, that thou can&s;t not peri&s;h, in what&s;oever Opinion thou doe&s;t dye.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>That GOD hath Prede&s;tinate me to Eternal life in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, I am mo&s;t certain;<NOTE PLACE="marg">John Careles examined upon Prede&s;tination.</NOTE> and even &s;o am I &s;ure that his Holy Spirit (wherewith I am &s;ealed will &s;o pre&s;erve me from all Here&s;ies and evill Opinions, that I &s;hall dy in none at all.</P>
</SP>
<PB REF="6">
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<PB N="1" REF="6">
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<SP>
<PB N="2" REF="7">
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Go to, let me hear your Faith in Prede&s;tination: for that &s;hall be written al&s;o.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Carel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Your Ma&s;ter&s;hip &s;hall pardon me herein. For you &s;aid your &s;elf ere-while, that you had no Commi&s;&s;ion to examine my Con&s;cience. I will trouble my &s;elf with an&s;wering no moe matters then I needs mu&s;t, untill I come before them that &s;hall have more authority further to examine me.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Martin</HI> de|clareth his Com|mi&s;&s;ion.</NOTE><HI>I tell thee then I have Commi&s;&s;ion; yea, and Commandement from the Council to examine thee: for they delivered me thy Articles.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Carel.</SPEAKER>
<P>Yea, I think indeed that your Ma&s;ter&s;hip is appointed to examine me of my Articles which you have there in writing, and I have told you the truth. I do confe&s;s them to be mine own fact &amp; deed: but you do now examine me of Prede&s;tination, whereof my Articles &s;peaketh nothing at all.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>I tell thee yet again, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat I mu&s;t al&s;o examine thee of &s;uch things as be in controver&s;ie between thee and thy fellows in the Kings Bench, whereof Prede&s;tination is a part, as thy fellow</HI> N. <HI>hath confe&s;&s;ed, and thy &s;elf do&s;t not deny it.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Carel.</SPEAKER>
<P>I do not deny it. But he that fir&s;t told you that matter, might have found him&s;elf much better occupied.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Why Dr. <HI>Martin</HI> would not exa|mine him of the Sacrament.</NOTE><HI>Why? what if he had not told me? thinke&s;t thou I would not have known it? yes, or el&s;e thou &s;hould&s;t have with&s;tood my Com|mi&s;&s;ion. For I tell thee truth, I may now examine thee of the ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament, or any other thing that I li&s;t, but that I would &s;hew thee favour, and not be too ha&s;ty with thee at the fir&s;t.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mar&s;h.</SPEAKER>
<P>Yea indeed <HI>Careles,</HI> Ma&s;ter Doctor hath Commi&s;&s;ion to examine you, or any other of your fellow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Yea marry have I, I tell the truth of it.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>Then let your Scribe &s;et his pen to the paper, and you &s;hall have it roundly even as the truth is. I believe that Almighty GOD, our mo&s;t dear loving Father, of his great mercy and good|ne&s;s did Elect in Chri&s;t.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Tu&s;h, What need all that long circum&s;tance? write, I believe that God Elected; and make no more ado.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>No not &s;o Mr. Doctor: it is an high My&s;tery, and ought reverently to be &s;poken of. And if my words may not be
<PB N="3" REF="7"> written as I do utter them, I will not &s;peak at all.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Go to, go to, wri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e what he will, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> is more bu&s;ine&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> then needeth.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>I believe that Alm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ghty God our mo&s;t dear loving Father,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Careles</HI> Opinio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> of Gods Ele|ction.</NOTE> of his great mercy and infinite goodne&s;s (through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t) did elect and appoint in him before the foundation of the Earth was laid, a Church or Congregation, which he doth con|tinually guide and govern by his Grace and holy Spirit, &s;o that not one of them &s;hall ever finally peri&s;h. When this was written, Mr. Doctor took it in his hand and read it, &s;aying,</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Why? who will deny this?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">D. <HI>Martin</HI> avow|et<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Careles</HI> judg|ment of Gods Election.</NOTE></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>If your Ma&s;ter&s;hip do allow it, and other learned men when they &s;hall &s;ee it, I have my hearts de&s;ire.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>And do you hold none otherwi&s;e then is there written?</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>No verily, nor never did.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Write that he &s;aith otherwi&s;e he holdeth not. So that was written. It was told me al&s;o that thou do&s;t affirm that Chri&s;t did not dye effectually for all men.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>What&s;oever hath been told you, it is not much material unto me. Let the tellers of &s;uch tales come before my f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ce, and I tru&s;t to make them an&s;wer. For indeed I do b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lieve that Chri&s;t did effectually dye for all tho&s;e that do effectually repent and believe, and for none other. So that was written al&s;o.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Now &s;ir what is</HI> Trewes <HI>faith of Prede&s;tination? he be|lieveth that all men be Prede&s;tinate, and that none &s;hall be Damned: doth he not?</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>No for&s;ooth, that he doth not.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>How then?</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles</SPEAKER>
<P>Truely I think he doth believe as your Ma&s;ter&s;hip and the re&s;t of the Clergy do believe of Prede&s;tination,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A wrong faith of Prede&s;tination, believing to be elected in re|&s;pect of Good works.</NOTE> that we be Elected in re&s;pect of our good works, and &s;o long elected as we do them and no longer.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Write that he &s;aith, his fellow</HI> Trew <HI>believeth of Prede&s;ti|nation as the Papi&s;ts do believe.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>Ah Mr. Doctor, did I &s;o term you? &s;eeing that this my Confe&s;&s;ion &s;hall come before the Council, I pray you place my terms as reverently as I &s;pake them.</P>
</SP>
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<PB N="3" REF="8">
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<SP>
<PB REF="9">
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Well, well. Write that</HI> Trew <HI>is of the &s;ame Faith as the Catholicks be.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>I did not &s;o call you neither, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> wonder what you mean.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mar&s;h.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>You &s;aid th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Clergy, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">d</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> Careles?</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles</SPEAKER>
<P>Yes for&s;ooth did I So then it was written of the Clergy.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Now Sir What &s;ay you more?</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>For&s;ooth I have no further to &s;ay in this matter.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Martin</HI> pre|tendeth favour to <HI>Careles.</HI></NOTE><HI>Well,</HI> Careles, <HI>I pray thee prove thy &s;elf a wi&s;e man, and do not ca&s;t away thy &s;elf wilfully.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>Now the Lord he knoweth, good Mr. Doctor, I would full gladly live, &s;o that I might do the &s;ame with a &s;afe Con&s;cience. And your Ma&s;ter&s;hip &s;hall right well perceive that I will be no wilful man, but in all things that I &s;tand upon, I &s;hall have a &s;ure ground.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Now the Lord knoweth, good</HI> Careles, <HI>that I would gladly make &s;ome means to pre&s;erve thy life; but thou &s;peake&s;t &s;o much of the Lord, the Lord: wilt thou be content to go with my Lord</HI> Fitzwater <HI>into</HI> Ireland? <HI>methinks thou art a goodly tall fellow to do the Queen &s;ervice there. How &s;aye&s;t thou?</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>Verily Mr. Doctor, whether I be in <HI>Ireland, France,</HI> or <HI>Spain,</HI> or any place el&s;e, I am ready to do her Grace the be&s;t &s;ervice I can, with Body, Goods and Life, &s;o long as it doth la&s;t.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>That is hone&s;tly &s;aid. I promi&s;e thee every man will not &s;ay &s;o. How &s;ay you Mr. Mar&s;hall, this man is meet for all manner of Service. Indeed thou art worthy</HI> Careles <HI>to have the more favour.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>Indeed Sir I hope to be meet and ready unto all things that pertaineth unto a true Chri&s;tian Subject to do. And if her Grace, or her Officers under her, do require me to any thing con|trary unto Chri&s;ts Religion, I am ready al&s;o to do my &s;ervice in Smithfield for not ob&s;erving it, as my bedfellow and other Brethren have done: prai&s;ed be God for them.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>By my troth thou art a plea&s;ant fellow as ever I talked with of all the Prote&s;tants, except it were</HI> Tom&s;on. <HI>I am &s;orry that I mu&s;t depart with thee &s;o &s;oon: but I have &s;uch bu&s;ine&s;s now, that I can tarry with thee no longer. Well, yet thou can&s;t not deny, but you are at
<PB N="5" REF="9"> jarre among&s;t your &s;elves in the Kings B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h, and it is &s;o throughout all your Congregation, for you will not be a Church.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>No Mr. Doctor that is no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;o.<NOTE PLACE="marg">More variety in y^e Popes Church then is among&s;t the Prote&s;tants.</NOTE> There is a thou&s;and times more variety in Opinions among your Doctors, which you call of the Catholick Chu ch, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ea and that in the Sacrament, for the which there is &s;o much blood&s;hed now adayes: I mean of your latter Doctors, and new Writers; as for the old, they agree wholly with us.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>No</HI> Careles, <HI>th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t is not &s;o: there thou art deceived.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>Verily it is &s;o, Mr. Doctor. I am not deceived therein any thing at all, as it hath been, and is evidently proved by &s;uch as God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ath indued with great Learning. Then he turned to the Mar&s;hal and whi&s;pered with him a while.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Mart.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>Turning unto me again, &s;aid, Farewel</HI> Careles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dr. <HI>Martin</HI> ta|keth his leave gently of <HI>Careles.</HI></NOTE> <HI>for I can tarry no longer with thee now my bu&s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s is &s;uck.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>God be with you good Mr. Doctor. The Lord give your Ma&s;ter&s;hip health of Body and Soul.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Martin.</SPEAKER>
<P><HI>God have mercy, good</HI> Careles; <HI>and God keep thee from all Errours, and give thee grace to do as well as I would w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h my &s;elf.</HI></P>
</SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Careles.</SPEAKER>
<P>I thank your good Ma&s;ter&s;hip. I pray God I may do always that is acceptable in his &s;ight. Whereunto they all &s;aid <HI>Amen.</HI> And &s;o I departed with a glad heart: God onely have the whole prai&s;e. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>It appeareth by Examination of the fore&s;aid <HI>John Careles,</HI> that he endured Pri&s;oner the &s;pace of two whole years having wife and Children. In the which his captivity fir&s;t being in Coventry Goal, he was there in &s;uch credit with his Keeper, that upon his word he was let out to play in the Pageant about the City with other his Companions. And that done, keeping touch with his Keeper, he returned again into Pri&s;on at his hour appointed.</P>
<P>And after that being brought up to <HI>London,</HI> he was endued with &s;uch patience and con&s;tant fortitude,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John Careles</HI> dv|ed in Pri&s;on and w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s buried in the fields.</NOTE> that he longed for nothing more earne&s;tly, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n to come to that promotion to dye in the fire for the profe&s;&s;ion of his Faith: and yet it &s;o plea&s;ed the Lord to prevent him with death, that he came not to it, but dyed in the
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<P>In the mean time while he was in Pri&s;on in the Kings Bench, it chanced he was in great heavine&s;s, and perturbation of minde and Con&s;cience: whereupon he wrote to <HI>M. Philpot</HI> being then in the Colehou&s;e. Upon occa&s;ion hereof, <HI>M. Philpot</HI> &s;ent an Epi&s;tle Con&s;olatory unto him, as followeth.</P>
</SP>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>A Letter of Mr. <HI>Philpot</HI> to <HI>John Careles,</HI> profitable to be read of all them which mourn in Repentance for their Sins.</HEAD>
<P>THe God of all comfort, and the Father of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;end unto thee my dear Brother <HI>Careles,</HI> the inward con&s;olation of his holy Spirit, in all the malicious a&s;&s;aults and troublous temptations of our common Adver&s;ary the Devil. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>That GOD giveth you &s;o contrite an heart for your &s;ins, I can|not but rejoyce to behold the lively mark of the children of God, who&s;e property is to think <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ore lowly and vilely of them&s;elves then of any other, and oftentimes do &s;et their &s;ins before them, that they might the more be &s;tirred to bring forth the fruits of Repentance, and learn to mourn in this world, that in another they might be glad and rejoyce. Such a broken Heart is a plea&s;ant Sacrifice unto God: Oh that I had the like contrite heart. God mollifie my &s;tony heart, which lamenteth not in &s;uch wi&s;e my former dete&s;table iniquities. Prai&s;ed be God that he hath given you this &s;orrowfull heart in respect of Righteou&s;ne&s;s; and I pray you let me be partaker of the&s;e godly &s;orrows for &s;in, which be the te&s;timony of the pre&s;ence of the holy Gho&s;t. Did not the &s;word of &s;orrow pierce the heart of the Elect and ble&s;&s;ed Mother of our Lord? Did not <HI>Peter</HI> weep bitterly for his &s;ins, which was &s;o beloved of Chri&s;t? Did not <HI>Mary Magdalen</HI> wa&s;h the feet of our Saviour with her tears, and re|ceived therewithall remi&s;&s;ion of her &s;evenfold &s;ins?</P>
<P>Be of good comfort therefore, <HI>Mine own dear heart,</HI> in this thy &s;orrow, for it is the Earne&s;t-peny of Eternall Con&s;olation. In thy &s;orrow laugh, for the Spirit of God is with thee. <HI>Bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ed be they</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>that mourn,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 15.</NOTE> <HI>for they &s;hall be comforted. They went forth and wept,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 126.</NOTE> &s;aith the Prophet; <HI>&s;uch &s;hall come again,
<PB N="7" REF="12"> having their gripes full of gladne&s;s.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. Luke 7. Sorrow in a Chri&s;tian man ought to be mo|derate.</NOTE> And al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hough a &s;orrowfull heart in con&s;ideration of his &s;in, be an acceptable Sacrifice before God, whereby we are &s;tirred up to more thankefulne&s;s unto God, knowing that <HI>much is fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ven us, that we might love the more:</HI> yet the man of God mu&s;t keep a mea&s;ure in the &s;ame, le&s;t he be &s;wallowed up by too much &s;orrow.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 4.</NOTE> S <HI>Paul</HI> would not the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians to be &s;orry as other men which have no hope.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 7.</NOTE> Such a &s;orrow is not commend|able, but worketh damnation, and is farre from the children of God, who are continually &s;orrowfull in God, when they look upon their own unworthine&s;s, with hope of forgivene&s;s. For God to this end by his Spirit &s;etteth the &s;ins of his Elect &s;till before them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.</NOTE> that where they perceive <HI>Sin to abound,</HI> there they might be a&s;&s;ured that <HI>Grace &s;hall &s;uperabound:</HI> and bringeth them down into Hell, that he might lift them up with greater joy into Heaven. Wherefore, <HI>mine own Bowels in Chri&s;t,</HI> as long as you are not void altogether of hope, be not di&s;mayed through your pen&s;ive heart for your &s;ins, how huge &s;o|ever they have been, for God is able to forgive more then you are able to &s;in; yea, and he will forgive him which with hope is &s;orry for his &s;ins.</P>
<P>But know, Brother, that as oft as we do go about, by the help of Gods Spirit, to do that is good,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satans practice to bring the godly repen|tance of a &s;inner to de&s;peration.</NOTE> the evil spirit Satan layeth hard wait to turn the good unto evil, and goeth about to mix the dete&s;table D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rnell of De&s;peration, with the godly Sorrow of a pure Penitent Heart. You be not ignorant of his malicious &s;ubtilty, and how that continually he a&s;&s;aulteth that good which the grace of God planteth. I &s;ee the battel betwixt you and him, but the victory is yours, yea and that daily: For you have laid hold upon the Anchor of Salvation, which is <HI>hope in Chri&s;t,</HI> he which will not &s;uffer you to be made a&s;hamed.</P>
<P>Be not di&s;comforted that you have this Conflict: but be glad that God hath given you the &s;ame to try your Faith, and that you might appear daily worthy of the Kingdome of God, for the which you &s;trive. God beholdeth your &s;triving Faith again&s;t Satan, and is plea&s;ed with your mighty re&s;i&s;tance. The Spirit which is in you, is mightier then all the Adver&s;aries power. Tempt he may, and lying await at your heels, give you a fall unawares: but overcome he &s;hall not; yea he cannot, for you are &s;ealed up already with a lively Faith to be
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<PB N="8" REF="14"> the childe of God for ever: and whom God hath once &s;ealed for his own, him he never utterly for&s;aketh.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods children fall. The Devils chil|dren lye &s;till.</NOTE> The ju&s;t falleth &s;even times, but he ri&s;eth again. It is mans frailty to fall, but it is the property of the De|vils childe to ly &s;till.</P>
<P>This &s;trife again&s;t &s;in is &s;ufficient te&s;timony that you are the childe of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 11.</NOTE> for if you were not, you &s;hould feel no &s;uch malice as he now troubleth you withall. When this &s;trong <HI>Goliah</HI> hath the hold, all things be in peace which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth; and becau&s;e he hath you not, he will not &s;uffer you una&s;&s;aulted. But &s;tand f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t, and hold out the Buckler of Faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Strife again&s;t &s;in is a token of Gods childe.</NOTE> and with the Sword of Gods Promi&s;es &s;mite him on the &s;calp, that he may receive a deadly wound, and never be able to &s;tand again&s;t you any more.<NOTE PLACE="marg">James 4.</NOTE> S. James telleth you that he is but a coward, &s;aying, <HI>Re&s;i&s;t the Devil, and he will fly away.</HI> It is the will of God that he &s;hould thus long tempt you, and not go away as yet, or el&s;e he had done with you long ere this. He knoweth already that he &s;hall receive the foyle at your hands, and increa&s;e the Crown of your Glory: for <HI>he that overcometh &s;hall be crowned.</HI> Therefore g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ory in your temptation, &s;ince they &s;hall turn to your felicity. Be not afraid of your continuall a&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ults, which be occa&s;ions of your daily victory. The Word of G d ab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">eth for ever. <HI>In what hour &s;oever a &s;inner repenteth him of his &s;ins they be for|given.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.</NOTE> <HI>Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect?</HI> Do you not perceive the manife&s;t tokens of your Election? Fir&s;t your voca|tion to the Gospel, and after your vocation, the manife&s;t gifts of the Spirit of God given unto you above many other of your condition, with godline&s;s which believeth and yieldeth to the authority of the Scriptures, and is zealous for the &s;ame? Seeing you are Gods own dearling, who can hurt you? Be not of a deject minde for the&s;e temptations, neither make your unfeigned friends to be more &s;orrowfull for you, then need doth require.</P>
<P>Since God hath willed you at your Bapti&s;m in Chri&s;t to be <HI>Careles,</HI> why do you make your &s;elf Carefull? <HI>Ca&s;t all your care on him&punc; Set the Lord before your eyes alwayes, for he is on your right &s;ide that you &s;hall not be moved.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">True Chri&s;tians how they ought to be c rele&s;s in their carefull e&s;tate.</NOTE> Behold the goodne&s;s of God toward me. I am carele&s;s, being fa&s;t clo&s;ed in a Pair of Stocks, which pinch me for very &s;traitne&s;s; and will you be carefull? I will not have that un&s;eem|ly addition to your Name. Be as your Name pretendeth, for doubtle&s;s
<PB N="9" REF="14"> you have none other cau&s;e but &s;o to be. Pray, I be&s;eech you, that I may be &s;till carele&s;s in my carefull e&s;tate, as you have cau&s;e to be care|le&s;s in your ea&s;ier condition. Be thank<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">full, and put away all care, and then I &s;hall be joyfull in my &s;trait pre&s;ent care. Commend me to all our Brethren, and de&s;ire them to pray for me that I may overcome my tem|ptations; for the D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vil rageth again&s;t me. I am put in the Stocks in a place alone, becau&s;e I would not an&s;wer to &s;uch Articles as they would charge me withall in a corner at the Bi&s;hops appointment, and becau&s;e I did not come to Ma&s;s when the Bi&s;hop &s;ent for me. I w ll lye all the dayes of my life in the Stocks (by Gods grace) rather then I will con&s;ent to the wicked generation. Prai&s;e God and be joyfull that it hath plea|&s;ed him to make us worthy to &s;uffer &s;omewhat for his Names &s;ake. The Devil mu&s;t rage for ten dayes. Commend me to Mr. <HI>F.</HI> and thank him for his Law-books; but Law, neither Equity will take any place among the&s;e blood thir&s;ty. I would for your &s;ake their unju&s;t deal|ing were noted unto the Parliament-hou&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, if it might avail. God &s;hor|ten the&s;e evil dayes. I have an&s;wered the Bi&s;hop meetly plain already, and I &s;aid to him, If he will call me in open Judgemen, I will an&s;wer him as plainly as he will require: otherwi&s;e I have refu&s;ed, becau&s;e I fear me they will condemn me in hugger-mugger. The peace of God be with you my dear Brother. I can write no more for lack of light, and that I have written I cannot reade my &s;elf, and God knoweth s is writ|ten farre unea&s;ily. I pray God you may pick out &s;ome under&s;tanding of my minde towards you. Written in a Colehou&s;e of da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">kne&s;s out of a Pair of painfull Stocks, by</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine own in Chri&s;t, <HI>John Philpot.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="10" REF="15">
<HEAD>A Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> an&s;wering to the loving Epi&s;tle or Letter &s;ent to him before by Mr. <HI>Philpot.</HI></HEAD>
<Q><P>A faithfull friend is a &s;trong defence, who&s;o findeth &s;uch an one, findeth a trea&s;ure.</P>
<P>A faithfull friend hath no peer, the weight of gold and &s;ilver is not to be compared to the goodne&s;s of his Faith.</P>
<P>A faithfull friend is a Medicine of life, and they that fear the Lord &s;hall finde him. <BIBL><HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;t. 6.</HI></BIBL></P></Q>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A lett<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r of <HI>John Careles</HI> to Mr. <HI>Philpot.</HI></NOTE>THe Father of Mercy, and God of all Con&s;olation, comfort you with his Eternal Spirit (my mo&s;t dear and faithful loving Friend good Mr. <HI>Philpot</HI>) as you have comforted me by the mighty operation of the &s;ame: The everla&s;ting God be prai&s;ed therefore for ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Ah my dear heart, and mo&s;t loving Brother, if I &s;hould do no|thing el&s;e day and night, &s;o long as the dayes of Heaven do endure, but kneel on my knees and reade P&s;alms, I can never be able to ren|der unto God condign thanks for his mercy, fatherly kindne&s;s, and mo&s;t lov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ng compa&s;&s;ion extended unto me mo&s;t vile, &s;inful, wicked and unworthy wretch. Oh that the Lord would open my mouth, and give me a thankful heart, that from the bottom of the &s;ame might flow his continual prai&s;e. Oh that my &s;inful fle&s;h (which is the cau&s;e of my &s;orrow) were clean &s;eparated from me, that I might &s;ing P&s;alms of Thank&s;giving unto the Lords Name for ever: that with good <HI>Samuels</HI> Mother, I might continually record this noble Ver&s;e following, the which by good experience I have found mo&s;t true, prai&s;ed be my good God therefore.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 2. <HI>John Careles</HI> rai&s;ed up by the Lord out of great heavine&s;s.</NOTE><HI>The Lord</HI> (&s;aith that good woman) <HI>killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to hell, and fetcheth up again.</HI> Prai&s;ed be that Lord for ever, yea, and prai&s;ed be his Name, for that he hath given me true experience and lively feeling of the &s;ame. Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God, who&s;e mercy endureth for ever, which hath not dealt with me ac|cording to my deep de&s;erts, nor de&s;troyed me in his di&s;plea&s;ure when I had ju&s;tly de&s;erved it. Oh what reward &s;hall I give again unto
<PB N="11" REF="15"> the Lord for all the great benefits that he hath done for my Soul! I will gladly receive the Cup of Salvation at his hand, and will wor&s;hip his Name with Prayer and with Prai&s;e.</P>
<P>Ah my dear heart, yea mo&s;t dear unto me in the Lord think not this &s;udden change in me to be &s;ome fickle Phanta&s;ie of my fooli&s;h head (as indeed &s;ome other would &s;urely &s;u&s;pect it to be) for doubtle&s;s it is the marvellous doing of the Lord, mo&s;t merciful un|to me his unworthy Creature God for his great mercies &s;ake give me grace to be more thankful unto him then I heretofore have been, and keep me that I never fall forth of his favour again.</P>
<P>And now my dear Brother, and mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;enger of the Lord who&s;e beautiful feet have brought much glad tidings unto my Soul, what &s;hall I do or &s;ay unto you, in the lea&s;t part to re|compence the fatherly affection and godly care that you continually keep for me? Oh that God would give me the Spirit of fervent Prayer, that I might yet that way &s;upply &s;ome little part of my duty toward you. Ah my true loving Friend, how &s;oon did you lay a&s;ide all other bu&s;ine&s;s, to make a &s;weet Plai&s;ter for my wounded Con&s;cience, yea and that out of a painful Pair of Stocks, which place mu&s;t needs be unea&s;ie to write in. But God hath brought you into a &s;trait place, that you might &s;et my Soul at liberty. Out of your pinching and painful Seat, you have plentifully poured up|on me your precious Nard, the &s;weet &s;avour whereof hath greatly refre&s;hed my tyred Soul. The Lord likewi&s;e refre&s;h you both Body and Soul, by pouring the oyle of his gracious Spirit into your &s;weet heart.</P>
<P>Ah good <HI>Jeremy,</HI> hath <HI>Pa&s;hur</HI> put thee in the Stocks? why,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20.</NOTE> now thou ha&s;t the right reward of a Prophet. Thy glory never began to appear till now. I doubt not but &s;hortly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 26.</NOTE> in &s;tead of <HI>Ahikam</HI> the the Son of <HI>Shaphan, Je&s;us</HI> the Son of the living God will come, and deliver thee forth of the hands of all thine Enemies, and will al&s;o make good again&s;t them and their Antichri&s;tian Synagogue, all the words that thou ha&s;t &s;poken in his Name. The Lord hath made thee this day a &s;trong defenced Tower, an iron Pillar,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 1.</NOTE> and a brazen Wall again&s;t the whole Rabble of Antichri&s;t: and though they fight again&s;t thee never &s;o fiercely, yet &s;hall they not over|come
<PB N="12" REF="16"> thee, for the Lord him&s;elf is with thee to help and deliver thee;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 15.</NOTE> and he will rid thee out of the hands of the wicked, and will deliver thee out of the hands of the Tyrants. And in that you are not bu&s;ie in <HI>ca&s;ting Pearls before Swine,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 7.</NOTE> nor in <HI>giving the holy things unto Dogs,</HI> you are much to be commended in my &s;imple judgement.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The circum&s;pect behaviour of Mr. <HI>Philpot.</HI></NOTE> And &s;ure I am, that your circum&s;pect and mode&s;t be|haviour hitherto hath been as much to Gods glory, and to the &s;hame and confu&s;ion of your enemies, as any man's doings that are gone before you.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John Careles</HI> his advice to him.</NOTE>Wherefore mine advice and mo&s;t earne&s;t de&s;ire is, with all other of your loving Friends, that you &s;till keep that order with tho&s;e Blood-thir&s;ty Bite-&s;heeps, <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> I &s;hould &s;ay, that you have be|gun. For though in conclu&s;ion they will &s;urely have your blood, yet &s;hall they come by it with &s;hame enough, and to their perpe|tual infamy whiles the world doth endure. They would indeed condemn you in hugger-mugger, to darken Gods glory, if it might be: but Satans thoughts are not unknown to you, and the depth of his &s;ubtilty is by you well fore&s;een. Therefore let them do what|&s;oever God &s;hall &s;uffer them to do; for I know all things &s;hall tu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n to your be&s;t. Though you lie in the dark, &s;lurried with the Bi&s;hops black Cole-du&s;t, yet &s;hall you be &s;hortly re&s;tored unto the heavenly Light, and made <HI>as white as &s;now in Salmon, and as the wings of a Dove,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.</NOTE> <HI>tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is covered with &s;ilver wings, and her feathers like gold.</HI> You know the Ve&s;&s;el, before it be made bright, is &s;oiled with Oyle and other things, that it may &s;coure the better.</P>
<P>Oh happy be you, that you be now in the Scouring-hou&s;e, for &s;hortly you &s;hall be &s;et up<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n the Cel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">al &s;helf as bright as Angels. Therefore, <HI>my dear hear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> I will now according to your loving re|que&s;t, ca&s;t away all care, and rejoyce with you, and prai&s;e God for you, and pray for you day and night,: yea, I will now, with Gods grace, &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g P&s;alms of Prai&s;e and Thank&s;giving with you: for now my Soul is turned to her old re&s;t again, and hath taken a &s;weet nap in Chri&s;ts lap. I have ca&s;t my care upon the Lord, which careth for me, and will be careles, according to my Name, in that re&s;pect which you would have me. I will leave out my un&s;eemly addition as long as I live; for it can take no place where true faith and hope
<PB N="13" REF="16"> is re&s;ident.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods gracious work through M <HI>Philpots</HI> Letter.</NOTE> So &s;oon as I had read your mo&s;t godly and com|fortable Letter, my &s;orrows vani&s;hed away as &s;moke in the wind, my Spirit revived, and comfort came again, whereby I am &s;ure the Spirit of God was Author of it.</P>
<P>Oh good Mr. <HI>Philpot,</HI> which art a principal Pot indeed, filled with mo&s;t precious Liquor, as it appeareth by the plenteous pouring forth of the &s;ame. Oh Pot mo&s;t happy, of the high Potter or|dained to honour, which do&s;t contain &s;uch heavenly trea&s;ure in the Earthen ve&s;&s;el! Oh Pot thrice happy, in whom Chri&s;t hath wrought a great Miracle, altering thy nature, and turning water into wine, and that of the be&s;t, whereout the Ma&s;ter of the Fea&s;t hath filled my cup &s;o full,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John Careles</HI> drunken with joy of the &s;pirit.</NOTE> that I am become drunken in the joy of the Spirit thorow the &s;ame. When Martyrdome &s;hall break thee (O ve&s;&s;el of honour) I know the fragrant &s;avour of thy precious Nard will much rejoyce the heavy hearts of Chri&s;ts true Mem|bers, although the <HI>Juda&s;&s;es</HI> will grudge and murmure at the &s;ame; yea, and bur&s;t out into words of &s;lander, &s;aying, <HI>It is but lo&s;t and wa&s;te.</HI></P>
<P>Be not offended, <HI>dear heart,</HI> at my Metaphorical &s;peech; for I am di&s;po&s;ed to be merry,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Kin.</HI> 6.</NOTE> and with <HI>David</HI> to <HI>dance before the Ark of the Lord:</HI> and though you play upon a pair of Organs not very comely or ea&s;ie to the fle&s;h, yet the &s;weet &s;ound that came from the &s;ame, cau&s;eth me thus to do. O that I were with you in body, as pre|&s;ently as I am in &s;pirit, that I might &s;ing all care away in Chri&s;t; for now the time of comfort is come. I hope to be with you &s;hortly, if all things happen aright:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Careles</HI> accu&s;ed to the Council by certain backe friends in <HI>Co|ventry.</HI></NOTE> for my old friends of <HI>Coventry</HI> have put the Council in remembrance of me, not &s;ix dayes ago, &s;aying, <HI>That I am more worthy to be burned then any that was burned yet.</HI> Gods ble&s;&s;ing on their hearts for their good report. God make me worthy of that dignity, and ha&s;ten the time, that I may &s;et forth his Glory.</P>
<P>Pray for me, <HI>dear heart,</HI> I be&s;eech you, and will all your company to do the &s;ame, and I will pray God for you all &s;o long as I live. And now farewell in Chri&s;t, thou bl &s;&s;ed of Gods own mouth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note how com|fortable the Lord worketh in his pri&s;oned Saints.</NOTE> I will for a time take my leave, but not my la&s;t farewel. Ble&s;&s;ed be the time that ever I came into the Kings Bench, to be joyned in
<PB N="12" REF="17">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="13" REF="17">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="14" REF="18"> love and fellow&s;hip with &s;uch dear Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ldren of the Lord. My good Brother <HI>Bradford</HI> &s;hall not be dead whiles you be alive: for verily the &s;pirit of him doth re&s;t on you in mo&s;t ample wi&s;e. Your Letters of comfort unto me in each point do agree, as though the one were a copy of the other. He hath <HI>planted in me,</HI> and <HI>you do water,</HI> the <HI>Lord give good increa&s;e.</HI> My dear Brethren and fellow-pri&s;oners here, have them humbly and heartily commended unto you, and your company, mourning for your mi&s;ery, but yet re|joycing for your plenteous Con&s;olation and comfort in Chri&s;t. We are all chearful and merry under our Cro&s;s, and do lack no ne|ce&s;&s;aries, Prai&s;ed be God for his Providence and great mercy towards us for evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>Mr. <HI>Bradfords</HI> Letter to <HI>Careles.</HI></HEAD>
<P>ALmighty God our dear Father, through and for the Merits of his dearly beloved Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, be mercifull unto us, pardon us our offences, and under the w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ngs of his Mercy protect us from all evil, from henceforth and for ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Dear Brother <HI>Careles,</HI> I heartily pray you to pray to God for me, for the pardon of my manifold &s;ins, and mo&s;t grievous offences, which need none other demon&s;tration unto you then this, namely, That I have behaved my &s;elf &s;o negligently in an&s;wering your godly triple Letters, which are three Witne&s;&s;es again&s;t me. God lay not them, nor none other thing to my charge to Condemnation, though to Correction: <HI>Not my will,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Practice of the Keyes of the Go&s;pel.</NOTE> <HI>but his will be done.</HI> Concerning your reque&s;t of Ab&s;olution <HI>(my deare&s;t Brother)</HI> what &s;hall I &s;ay, but even as truth is, That the Lord of all Mercy, and Father of all Comfort, through the Merits and Mediation of his dear Son, thy onely Lord and Saviour, hath clearly re|mitted and pardoned all thy offences what&s;oever they be, that ever hitherto thou ha&s;t committed again&s;t his Maje&s;ty: and therefore he hath given to thee, as to his Childe (dear Brother <HI>John Careles</HI>) in token that thy &s;ins are pardoned; He (I &s;ay) hath given unto thee a penitent and be|lieving heart; that is, a heart which de&s;ireth to repent and believe: For &s;uch an one is taken of him (he accepting the will for the deed) for a penitent and believing heart indeed.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="18">
<P>Wherefore <HI>(my good Brother)</HI> be merry, glad, and of good chear, for the Lord hath taken away thy &s;ins; thou &s;halt not dye. Go thy wayes, the Lord hath put away thy &s;ins. The Ea&s;t is not &s;o farre from the We&s;t, as the Lord now hath put thy &s;ins from thee. Look how the Heavens be in compari&s;on of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Earth, &s;o farre hath his Mercy pre|vailed toward thee his dear Childe, <HI>John Careles,</HI> through Christ the Beloved. Say therefore with <HI>David, Prai&s;e the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me prai&s;e his holy Name:</HI> for he hath forgiven thee all thy &s;ins, as truely he hath. And hereof I de&s;ire to be a Witne&s;s. God make me worthy to hear from you the like true Me&s;&s;age for my &s;elf. Mine own dearly Beloved, you have great cau&s;e to thank God mo&s;t heartily, that hath given you &s;uch Repentance and Faith: The Lord increa&s;e the &s;ame in you, and me a mo&s;t mi&s;erable wretch, who&s;e heart is harder then the Adamant &s;tone, or el&s;e I could not thus long have &s;tayed from writing unto you. If I live, and may, I purpo&s;e and promi&s;e you to make amends. Pray for me, my mo&s;t dear Brother, I heartily be&s;eech you, and forgive me my long &s;ilence. God our Fa|ther be with us for ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours in the Lord, <HI>John Bradford.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD><HI>John Careles</HI> his Letter to Mr. <HI>Bradford.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Peace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;weet Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> to Mr. <HI>Bradford,</HI> a little before his Martyrdome</NOTE> the Eternal Comfort of his &s;weet Spirit, which hath &s;urely &s;ealed you unto Eternal Salva|tion, be with you, and &s;trengthen you in your joyful journey to|wards the Cele&s;tial <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> (my dear Friend, and mo&s;t faithful Brother Mr. <HI>Bradford</HI>) to the &s;etting forth of Gods glory, and to your eternal joy in Chri&s;t. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Ever &s;ince that good Mr. <HI>Philpot</HI> &s;hewed me your la&s;t Letter <HI>(my dear heart in the Lord)</HI> I have continued in great heavine&s;s and perplexity;<NOTE PLACE="marg">He mourneth for the lo&s;s and l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ck of Mr. <HI>Bradfor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> in the Church.</NOTE> not for any hurt or di&s;commodity that I can perceive coming towards you, unto whom doubtle&s;s Death is made life and great felicity: but for the great lo&s;s that Gods Church here in <HI>England</HI> &s;hall &s;u&s;tain, by the taking away of &s;o godly, worthy, and
<PB N="16" REF="19"> nece&s;&s;ary an in&s;trument, as the Lord hath made you to be. Oh that my life, and a thou&s;and &s;uch wretched lives moe, might go for yours! Oh why doth God &s;uffer me, and &s;uch other Catterpillers to live, that can do nothing but con&s;ume the Alms of the Church, and take away you &s;o worthy a Workman and Labourer in the Lords Vineyard? But woe be to our &s;ins and great unthanfulne&s;s, which is the greate&s;t cau&s;e of the taking away of &s;uch worthy in|&s;truments of God, as &s;hould &s;et forth his Glory, and in&s;truct his People. If we had been thankful unto God for the good Mini&s;ters of his Word, we had not been &s;o &s;oon deprived both of it and them. The Lord forgive our great ingratitude and &s;ins, and give us true Repentance and Faith, and hold his hand of Mercy over us for his dear Son Chri&s;ts &s;ake. Take not away all thy t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ue Preachers forth of this Realm (O Lord) but leave us a Seed, le&s;t <HI>Engl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd</HI> be made like unto <HI>Sodom</HI> and <HI>Gomorrah,</HI> when thy true <HI>Lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> be gone.</P>
<P>But what go I about to mingle your mirth with my mourning, and your ju&s;t joy with my de&s;erved &s;orrow? If I loved you in|deed, as I have pretended, I &s;hould &s;urely rejoyce with you mo&s;t heartily, and prai&s;e God on your b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">half from the very bottom of my heart:<NOTE PLACE="marg">He rejoyceth for the honour of Mr. <HI>Bradfords</HI> Martyrdome.</NOTE> I &s;hould prai&s;e God day and night for your excellent Election in and through his great Mercy and &s;hould give him mo&s;t humble thanks for your Vocation by his Go&s;pel, and your true Knowledge in the &s;ame: I &s;hould earne&s;tly prai&s;e him for your &s;weet ju&s;tification, whereof you are mo&s;t certain by Gods G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ace and Spirit; and &s;hould in&s;tantly pray unto him for your Glorifica|tion, which &s;hall &s;hortly en&s;ue: I &s;hould rejoyce and be glad to &s;ee you dignified by the Crown of Martyrdome and to be ap|pointed to that honour, to te&s;tifie his Truth, and to Seal it with your Blood: I &s;hould highly extoll the Lord, who hath given you a glorious v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ctory over all your enemies, vi&s;ible and inv &s;i le, and hath given you Grace and Strength to fini&s;h the Tower that you have begun to build. Finally, if I loved you, I &s;hould mo&s;t hear|tily rejoice and be glad to &s;ee <HI>you delivered from this body of &s;in,</HI> and vile per&s;on of the Fle&s;h, and brought into <HI>that heavenly Tabernacle,</HI> where you &s;hall be &s;afely kept, and never offend him more.</P>
<P>This and much more &s;hould I do, if I had a good heart towards
<PB N="17" REF="19"> God, or you his dear childe. But (alas) I am an hypocrite, and do &s;eek nothing but mine own commodity. I would have Gods everla&s;ting Providence give place to my peevi&s;h will and pur|po&s;e, although it were to the hindrance of his glory, and your &s;weet commodity. God forgive me my horrible ingratitude, &s;ins, and offences again&s;t him; and good Brother, do you forgive me my great negligence and unthankfulne&s;s towards you, and hence|forth I promi&s;e you I will put my will to Gods will, and pray that the &s;ame may be fulfilled in you, &s;o long as you be on this earth: and when you are taken hence, I will mo&s;t heartily prai&s;e the Lord for you, &s;o long as I have my being in this world. Ah my dear heart, now I mu&s;t take my leave of you, and as I think,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John Careles</HI> ta|keth his leave of M. <HI>Bradford</HI></NOTE> my <HI>&V;ltimum Vale</HI> in this life, but in the life to come I am right well a&s;&s;ured we &s;hall merrily meet together, and that &s;hortly, I tru&s;t. And in taking of my leave of you <HI>(my dear heart in the Lord)</HI> I &s;hall de&s;ire you faithfully to remember all the &s;weet me&s;&s;ages that the Lord our good God, and mo&s;t dear loving Father hath &s;ent you by me his mo&s;t unworthy Servant, which as they are mo&s;t true, &s;o &s;hall they be mo&s;t truly accompli&s;hed upon you eternally: and for the more a&s;&s;urance and certificate thereof to your godly Con&s;ci|ence, he hath commanded me to repeat the &s;ame unto you again in his own Name and Word.</P>
<P>Therefore now give ear, and faithful credence. Hearken,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Te&s;timony of Gods Spirit.</NOTE> O ye Heavens, and thou earth give ear, and bear me witne&s;s at the great Day, that I do here faithfully and truely the Lords m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ge unto his dear Servant,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John Careles</HI> doth Gods me&s;|&s;age to M. <HI>Brad|ford.</HI></NOTE> his &s;ingularly beloved and el<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct Childe <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">n Brad|ford. John Bradford</HI> thou man &s;o &s;pecially beloved of God, I pro|nounce and te&s;tifie unto thee in the Word and Name of the Lord Jehovah, that all thy &s;ins what&s;oever they be, be they never &s;o many, &s;o grievous, or &s;o great, be fully and freely p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">doned, relea&s;ed and forgiven thee, by the mercy of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t thine onely Lord and &s;weet Saviour, in whom thou do&s;t undoubtedly believe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Power and pra|cti&s;e of the keyes of the Go&s;pel.</NOTE> Chri&s;t hath clean&s;ed thee with his Blood, and clothed thee with his Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and hath made <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hee in the &s;ight of God his Father, without &s;pot or wrinckle: &s;o that when the fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e doth his appointed office, thou &s;halt be received (as a &s;weet burnt Sacrifice) into
<PB N="18" REF="20"> Heaven, where thou &s;halt joyfully remain in Gods pre&s;ence for ever, as the true inheriter of his everla&s;ting Kingdome, unto the which thou wa&s;t undoubtedly prede&s;tinate and ordained by the Lords in|fallible purpo&s;e and decree, before the foundation of the World was laid. And that is mo&s;t true that I have &s;aid, I call the whole Trinity, the Almighty and Eternal Maje&s;ty of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Gho&s;t to my Record at this pre&s;ent: whom I humbly be&s;eech to confirm and &s;tabli&s;h in thee the true and lively feeling of the &s;ame. <HI>Amen. Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Now with a merry heart and a joyfull &s;pirit, &s;omething mixed with lawful tears, I take my farewel of you, mine own dear Brother in the Lord: who &s;end us &s;hortly a merry meeting in his King|dome, that we may both &s;ing prai&s;es together unto him with his holy Angels and ble&s;&s;ed Spirits for ever and ever. Farewel thou ble&s;&s;ed of the Lord, farewel in Chri&s;t: depart unto thy re&s;t in the Lord; and pray for me for Gods &s;ake.</P>
<P>As I had made an end of this &s;imple Letter, I heard &s;ome com|fort both of good Mr. <HI>Philpots</HI> Servant and yours, but (alas) I do &s;carcely believe them. Well, I will hope in God, and pray all night that God would &s;end me &s;ome comfort to morrow; and if the Lord give you &s;paring to morrow, let me hear four words of comfort from you, for Gods &s;ake. The Ble&s;&s;ing of God be with you now and for ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Yours for ever in the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> John Careles living in Hope again&s;t Hope.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD><HI>John Careles</HI> his Letter to his Wife.</HEAD>
<P>AS by the great mercy of God, at the time of his good will and pro|vidence appointed, <HI>(my dearly beloved Wife)</HI> you and I were joyned together in the holy and Chri&s;tian &s;tate of godly Matrimony, as well to our great joy and comfort in Chri&s;t, as al&s;o to the increa&s;e of his ble&s;&s;ed Church and faithfull Congregation, by having lawfull Children in and by the &s;ame, with the which God of his mercy hath ble&s;&s;ed us,
<PB N="19" REF="20"> prai&s;ed be his Name therefore: Even &s;o now by his mercifull will and Divine Ordinance, the time is come (&s;o farre as I can perceive) where|in he will, for his glory, and our eternall comfort, di&s;&s;olve the &s;ame, and &s;eparate us a&s;under again for a time. Wherefore I thought it good, yea and my bounden duty, by this &s;imple Letter to provoke, &s;tir, and ad|moni&s;h you to behave your &s;elf in all your doings, &s;ayings and thoughts, mo&s;t thankefully unto our good God for the &s;ame. And therefore <HI>(my dear Wife)</HI> as you have heartily rejoyced in the Lord, and oftentimes given God thanks for his goodne&s;s, in bringing us together in his holy Or|dinance: Even &s;o now I de&s;ire you, when this time of our &s;eparation &s;hall come, to rejoyce with me in the Lord, and to give him mo&s;t hearty thanks, that he hath (to his glory, and our endle&s;s commodity) &s;eparated us again for a little time, and hath mercifully taken me unto him&s;elf forth of this mi&s;erable world, into his Cele&s;tiall Kingdome;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Here is a true mark of a faith|ful Chri&s;tian, for&s;aking wife &amp; children for Chri&s;ts &s;ake.</NOTE> believing and hoping al&s;o a&s;&s;uredly, that God of his goodne&s;s, for his Son Chri&s;ts &s;ake, will &s;hortly bring you and your dear children thither to me, that we may mo&s;t joyfully together &s;ing Prai&s;es unto his glorious Name for ever. And yet once again I de&s;ire you for the love of God, and as ever you loved me, to rejoyce with me, and to give God continuall thanks for doing his mo&s;t mercifull will upon me.</P>
<P>I hear &s;ay, that you do oftentimes u&s;e to repeat this godly &s;aying, <HI>The Lords will be fulfilled.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">True obedience of a faithful wo|man.</NOTE> Doubtle&s;s it rejoyceth my poor heart to hear that report of you; and for the Lords &s;ake u&s;e that godly prayer continually, and teach your Children and Family to &s;ay the &s;ame day and night: and not onely &s;ay it with your tongues, but al&s;o with your heart and minde, and joyfully to &s;ubmit your will to Gods will in very deed; knowing and believing a&s;&s;uredly, that nothing &s;hall come to you or any of yours, otherwi&s;e then it &s;hall be his Almighty and Fatherly good will and plea&s;ure, and for your eternall comfort and commodity. Which thing to be mo&s;t true and certain, Chri&s;t te&s;tifieth in his holy Go&s;pel, &s;ay|ing, <HI>Are not two little Sparrows &s;old for a farthing?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10.</NOTE> <HI>and yet not one of them &s;hall peri&s;h without the will of your heavenly Fa|ther.</HI> And he concludeth, &s;aying, <HI>Fear not ye therefore, for ye are better then many Sparrows.</HI> As though he &s;hould have &s;aid, If God have &s;uch a respect and care for a poor Sparrow, which is not worth one farthing, that it &s;hall not be taken in the Lime-twig, Net, or Pit-fall,
<PB N="20" REF="21"> unsill it be his good will and plea&s;ure; you may be well a&s;&s;ured, that not one of you (whom he &s;o dearly loveth, that he hath given his onely dear Son for y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u) &s;hall peri&s;h, or depart forth of this mi&s;erable life, without his Almighty good will and plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Therefore, dear Wife, put your tru&s;t and confidence wholly and onely in him, and ever pray that his will be fulfilled, and not yours, except it be agreeing to his will: the which I pray God it may ever be. <HI>Amen.</HI> And as for worldly things take you no care,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Good coun&s;el given to his wife</NOTE> but be you well a&s;&s;ured the Lord your dear God and Father will not &s;ee you nor yours lack, if you con|tinue in his love and childly fear, and keep a clear Con&s;cience from all kind of Idolatry, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uper&s;tition, and Wickedne&s;s, as my tru&s;t is that you will do, although it be with the lo&s;s and danger of this temporal life. And good <HI>Margaret, Fear not them that can but kill the body,</HI> (and yet can they not do that, untill God give them leave) <HI>but fear to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;plea&s;e him that can kill both body and Soul, and ca&s;t them into hell fire.</HI> Let not the remembrance of your Children keep you from God: The Lord him&s;elf will be a Father and a Mother,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Care of children to be ca&s;t upon Lord.</NOTE> better then ever you or I could have been unto them. He him&s;elf will do all things nece&s;&s;ary for them, yea as much as rock the Cradle, if need be. He hath given his holy Angels charge over them, therefore commit them unto him. But if you may live with a clear Con&s;cience (for el&s;e I would not have you to live) and &s;ee the bringing up of your Children your &s;elf, look that you nurture them in the fear of God, and keep them farre from Idolatry, Super&s;tition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The mothers duty in bringing up her children.</NOTE> and all other kinde of Wickedne&s;s: and for Gods &s;ake help them to &s;ome Learning, if it be po&s;&s;ible, that they may increa&s;e in virtue and god<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y knowledge, which &s;hall be a better Dowry to marry them with|all, then any worldly &s;ub&s;tance: and when they be come to age, provide them &s;uch Husbands as fear God, and love his holy Word. I charge you take heed that you match them with no Papi&s;ts: and if you live and marry again your &s;elf, (which thing I would wi&s;h you to do, if need require, or el&s;e not) good Wife take heed how you be&s;tow your &s;elf, that you and my poor Children be not compelled to wickedne&s;s. But if you &s;h ll be able well to live Gods true Widow, I would coun&s;el you &s;o to live &s;till, for the more quietne&s;s of your &s;elf and your poor Children. Take heed, <HI>Margaret,</HI> and play the wi&s;e womans part: you have warn|ing by other, if you will take an example. And thus I commit you and
<PB N="21" REF="21"> my &s;weet Children unto Gods mo&s;t mercifull defence. The Ble&s;&s;ing of God be with you, and God &s;end us a merry meeting together in Heaven. Farewell in Chri&s;t: farewell mine own dear hearts all. <HI>Pray, pray.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>To my mo&s;t dear and f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ithful Brethren in <HI>Newgate,</HI> Condemned to dye for the Te&s;timony of Gods everla&s;ting Truth.</HEAD>
<P>THe everla&s;ting p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ace of G d in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the continual joy, &s;trength and comfort of his mo&s;t p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re, holy, and mighty Spirit, with the encrea&s;e of Faith, and l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vely feeling of his Eternal Mercy be with you, my mo&s;t dear and faithful lov ng B other <HI>Tyms,</HI> and with all the re&s;t of my dear hearts in the Lord, your faithful Fellow-&s;ouldiers, and mo&s;t con&s;tant Companions in Bonds, yea, of men condemned mo&s;t cruelly for the &s;incere Te&s;timony of Gods everla&s;ting Truth, to the full fini&s;hing of that good work, which he hath &s;o graciou&s;ly begun in you all, that the &s;ame may be to his glory, the commodity of his poor afflicted Church, and to your everla&s;ting comfort in him. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Ah my mo&s;t &s;weet and loving B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ethren, and deare&s;t hearts in the Lord, what &s;hall I &s;ay, or how &s;hall I write unto you in the lea&s;t point or part, to utter the great joy that my poor heart hath recei|ved in God, through the mo&s;t godly example of your Chri&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">an Con&s;tancy, and &s;incere Confe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;ts Verity? truely my tongue cannot declare,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Example of true love and charity among the Mar|tyrs.</NOTE> nor my pen expre&s;s the abundance of &s;piri|tual mirth and gladne&s;s, that my minde and inward man hath felt, ever &s;ince I heard of your hearty boldne&s;s, and mode&s;t behaviour before that bloody Butcher, in the time of all your crafty Examina|tions, e&s;pecially at your cruel Condemnation in their cur&s;ed Con|&s;i&s;tory place. Bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ed be God the Father of all mercy, and prai&s;ed be his Name, for that he hath &s;o graciou&s;ly performed upon you his dear darlings, his mo&s;t &s;weet and comfortable promi&s;es, in not only giving you the continual ayd, &s;trength and comfort of his holy and mighty Spirit, to the faithful confe&s;&s;ion of his Chri&s;t, for who&s;e cau&s;e (O mo&s;t happy men) ye are condemned to dye: but al&s;o in giving you &s;uch a mouth and wi&s;dome, as all your wicked
<PB N="22" REF="22"> Enemies were not able to re&s;i&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Enemies not able to with&s;tand the w &s;edome of God in his Saints but compelled to bid them hold their peace.</NOTE> but were fain to cry, <HI>Peace, peace,</HI> and not &s;uffer you to &s;peak. As truly as God liveth (my dear Bre|thren) this is not only unto you a mo&s;t evident probation that God is on our &s;ide, and a &s;ure certainty of your everla&s;ting Salvation in him; but al&s;o to your cruel Adver&s;aries (or rather Gods cur&s;ed Enemies) a plain demon&s;tration of their ju&s;t eternal woe and damnation, which they &s;hall be full &s;ure &s;hortly to feel, when ye &s;hall full &s;weetly po&s;&s;e&s;s the place of felicity and plea&s;ure prepared for you from the beginning.</P>
<P>Therefore (my dearly beloved) cea&s;e not &s;o long as ye be in this life, to prai&s;e the Lord with a lu&s;ty courage, for that of his great mercy and infinite goodne&s;s, he hath vouched you worthy this great dignity, to &s;uffer for his &s;ake, not onely the lo&s;s of goods, Wife and Children, long impri&s;onment, and cruel oppre&s;&s;ion, &amp;c. but al&s;o the very deprivation of this mortal life, with the di&s;&s;olu|tion of your bodies in the fire. The which in the greate&s;t promo|tion that God can bring you or any other unto in this vale of mi&s;ery; yea, &s;o great an honour, as the highe&s;t Angel in Heaven is not permitted to have: and yet hath the Lord (for his dear Son Chri&s;ts &s;ake) reputed you worthy of the &s;ame, yea and that before me and many other which have both long looked and longed for the &s;ame.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John Careles</HI> longeth to dye a Martyr in the Go&s;pels cau&s;e.</NOTE>Ah my mo&s;t dear Brother <HI>Tyms,</HI> who&s;e time re&s;teth altogether in the hands of the Lord, in a full happy time came&s;t thou into this trouble&s;ome world, but in a much more ble&s;&s;ed hou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;halt thou de|part forth of the &s;ame: &s;o that the &s;weet &s;aying of <HI>Solomon,</HI> or rather of the Holy-gho&s;t, &s;hall be full well verified upon thee, yea and all thy faithful fellows; <HI>Better is the day of death</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>then the day of birth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 7.</NOTE> This &s;aying cannot be verified upon every man, but upon thee my dear Brother, and &s;uch as thou art, <HI>who&s;e death is mo&s;t precious before God, and full dear &s;hall your blood be in his &s;ight.</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be God for thee, my dear Brother <HI>Tyms,</HI> and ble&s;&s;ed be God again that ever I knew thee, for in a mo&s;t happy time I came fir&s;t into thy company. Pray for me, dear Brother, pray for me, that God will once vouch me worthy of that great dignity whereunto he hath now brought you.</P>
<PB N="23" REF="22">
<P>Ah my loving Brother <HI>Drake,</HI> who&s;e Soul draweth now nigh un|to God, of whom you have received the &s;ame,, full glad may you be that ever God gave you a life to leave for his &s;ake: full well will he re&s;tore it to you again in a thou&s;and fold more glorious wi&s;e. Prai&s;e God, good Brother, as you have great cau&s;e, and pray for me, I be&s;eech you, which am &s;o much unworthy (&s;o great are my &s;ins) of that great dignity whereunto the Lord hath cal|led you, and the re&s;t of your godly Brethren; whom I be&s;eech you to comfort in the Lord, as you can full well: prai&s;ed be God for his gifts, which you have heartily applied to the &s;etting forth of his glory, and the commodity of his poor afflicted Church. Which thing &s;hall &s;urely redound to your everla&s;ting joy and comfort, as you &s;hall mo&s;t effectually feel or ever it be long, though the wicked of the World judge far otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>Ah mine own Hearts, and mo&s;t dearly beloved Brethren, <HI>Cavell, Ambro&s;e,</HI> and both the <HI>Spurges,</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord on your be|half, and prai&s;ed be his Name, which hath given you &s;uch a glo|rious victory. Full valiant have you &s;hewed your &s;elves in the Lords fight, and full faithfully in your painful &s;ervice. Faint not, but go on forward as you have mo&s;t godly begun, for great &s;hall your reward be at the end of this your travel. Ah my good faithful Brethren all, what &s;hall I &s;ay, or what &s;hall I write unto you, but even the &s;ame that good <HI>Elizabeth</HI> did &s;ay to her godly kin&s;woman <HI>Mary,</HI> the ble&s;&s;ed Mother of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1.</NOTE> <HI>Happy art thou</HI> (quoth that good woman) <HI>which ha&s;t believed; for all things which the Lord hath spoken to thee &s;hall be fulfilled.</HI> So I &s;ay to you (my dear hearts in the Lord) happy are ye all, yea thrice happy &s;hall ye be for evermore, becau&s;e ye have &s;tedfa&s;tly believed the mo&s;t &s;weet Promi&s;es which God the Father hath made unto you with his own mouth, in that he hath promi&s;ed you (which are the faithful &s;eed of the believing <HI>Abraham</HI>) that ye &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed ever world without end. The Pro|mi&s;es of God your &s;weet Father, as ye do believe, &s;o do ye bear record that God is true. The te&s;timony whereof ye have wor|thily born to the world, and &s;hortly will full &s;urely Seal the &s;ame with your Blood, yea even to morrow, I do under&s;tand.<NOTE PLACE="marg">He encourageth Gods Martyrs unto their death</NOTE> Oh con|&s;tant Chri&s;tians! Oh valiant Souldiers of the high Captain Je&s;us
<PB N="24" REF="23"> Chri&s;t, who for your &s;ake hath conquered the Devil, Death, Sin and Hell, and hath given you full victory over them for evermore! Oh worthy Witne&s;&s;es, and mo&s;t glorious Martyrs, who&s;e invincible Faith hath overcome that proud, &s;turdy, bragging Prince of the World, and all his wicked Army: over whom ye &s;hall &s;hortly tri|umph for evermore. Ah my &s;weet hearts, the everla&s;ting trea&s;ures are full &s;urely laid up for you in Heaven. The immerce&s;&s;ible and mo&s;t glorious Crown of Victory is already made and prepared for you, to be &s;hortly clapt upon all your happy heads. The holy Angels of your heavenly Father are already appointed to conduct your &s;weet Souls into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome: All the heavenly Ho&s;t rejoyceth already, for that they &s;hall &s;hortly receive you with joy and felicity into their ble&s;&s;ed Fellow&s;hip. <HI>Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Rejoyce with double joy, and be glad my dear Brethren, for doubtle&s;s ye have more cau&s;e then can be expre&s;&s;ed. But (alas) I that for my &s;ins am left behinde, may lye and lament with the holy Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.</NOTE> &s;aying, <HI>Woe is me, that the dayes of my joyfull re&s;t are pro|longed.</HI> Ah cur&s;ed Satan, which hath cau&s;ed me &s;o &s;ore to offend my mo&s;t dear loving Father, whereby my exile and bani&s;hment is &s;o much prolonged! Oh Chri&s;t my Advocate, pacifie thy Fathers wrath, which I have ju&s;tly de&s;erved, that he may take me home to him in his &s;weet mercy! Oh that I might now come home unto thee with my ble&s;&s;ed Brethren! Well, thy will (O Lord) be effe|ctually fulfilled, for it is onely good, and turneth all things to the be&s;t, for &s;uch as thou in thy mercies ha&s;t cho&s;en.</P>
<P>And now farewell my dear Hearts, mo&s;t happy in the Lord: I tru&s;t in my good God yet &s;hortly to &s;ee you in the Cele&s;tial City, whereof undoubtedly the Lord hath already made you free Citizens. Though ye be yet with us for a little time, your very home is in Heaven, where your trea&s;ure doth remain with your &s;weet Lord and Redeemer Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who&s;e calling you have heard with the ears of your hearts, and therefore you &s;hall never come into judgement, but pa&s;s from death to life. Your &s;ins &s;hall never be remembred, be they never &s;o many, &s;o grievous or &s;o great; for your Saviour hath <HI>ca&s;t them all into the bottom of the Sea:</HI> he hath <HI>removed them from you as far as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103.</NOTE> and his mercy hath
<PB N="25" REF="23"> much more prevailed over you, then is di&s;tance between Heaven and Earth: and hath given you for an everla&s;ting po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the &s;ame, all his Holyne&s;s, Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and Ju&s;tification,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Triumph of Martyrs.</NOTE> yea and the Holy Gho&s;t into your hearts, wherewith ye are &s;urely &s;ealed unto the day of Redemption, to certifie you of your eternal Election, and that ye are his true Adopted Sons, whereby ye may boldly cry unto God, <HI>Abba, dear Father,</HI> for evermore: &s;o that now no creature in Heaven, Earth nor Hell &s;hall be able to accu&s;e you before the throne of the Heavenly King. Satan is now ca&s;t out from you: he him&s;elf <HI>is judged, and hath no part in you;</HI> he will once more bite you by the heel, and then he hath done,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.</NOTE> for at that time you &s;hall &s;queeze his head through your own good Chri&s;t: and &s;o have you final victory for evermore. In joyful triumph whereof ye &s;hall &s;weetly a&s;cend into the place of eternal re&s;t, whe|ther your elde&s;t Brother Chri&s;t is gone before you, to take po&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ion for you, and to prepare your place under the holy Altar, with <HI>Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Rogers, Hooper, Saunders, Farrar, Taylor, Bradford, Philpot,</HI> with many other, who will be full glad of your coming, to &s;ee &s;ix more of their appointed number, that their blood may &s;o much the &s;ooner be revenged on them that dwell on the Earth.</P>
<P>Thus I make an end, committing you all to Gods mo&s;t merciful defence, who&s;e quarrel ye have defended, who&s;e cau&s;e ye have pro|moted, who&s;e glory ye have &s;et forth, and who&s;e name ye have con&s;tantly confe&s;&s;ed. Farewel for a while, my dear hearts in the Lord, I will make as much ha&s;t after you as I may. All our dear Brethren &s;alute you. They Pray for you, and prai&s;e God for you continually. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the dead that dye in the Lord, for they re&s;t from their Labours,</HI> &s;aith the Holy Gho&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 11.</NOTE> <HI>and their works follow them.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your own <HI>John Careles,</HI> a mo&s;t unprofitable Servant of the Lord. <HI>Pray, pray, pray.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="26" REF="24">
<HEAD>To Mr. <HI>Green,</HI> Mr. <HI>Whittel,</HI> and certain other Pri&s;oners in <HI>Newgate,</HI> Condemned and ready to be burnt for the Te&s;ti|mony of the <HI>Lord Je&s;us.</HI></HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Another Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> wherein he doth animate <HI>Green, Whittel,</HI> and the re&s;t of that com|pany unto their Martyrdome.</NOTE>THe everla&s;ting peace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the continual comfort of his mo&s;t pure and holy Spirit, be with you my mo&s;t dear and faithful Brethren and Si&s;ters of <HI>Newgate,</HI> the Lords appointed Sheep unto the &s;laughter, to the good performance of the great and notable work of the Lord, which he hath &s;o graciou&s;ly begun in you all; that the &s;ame may redound to the &s;etting forth of his Glory, and to the commodity of his Church, and to your own everla&s;ting comfort in him, <HI>So be it.</HI></P>
<P>Ah my dear hearts, and mo&s;t faithful Brethren and &s;i&s;ters in the Lord, what high lauds and prai&s;e, yea what humble and continual thanks am I bound to give to God our Father for you and on your mo&s;t happy behalf, who &s;o mightily hath magnified him&s;elf in you thus far forth, in giving you his holy and mighty Spirit, to the con&s;tant confe&s;&s;ing of Chri&s;ts verity, even to the cruel Condemna|tion, and I doubt not but he will do the &s;ame to the death. Oh happy and ble&s;&s;ed are you that ever you were born, that the Lord will vouch you worthy of this great dignity, to dye for his &s;ake. Doubtle&s;s it is the greate&s;t honour that God can give you in this life. Yea,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 11.</NOTE> if they be &s;o ble&s;&s;ed of God that dye in the Lord, as the Holy Gho&s;t &s;aith they be;<NOTE PLACE="marg">To dye in the Lord: and for the Lord.</NOTE> how much more ble&s;&s;ed and happy then are you, that dye not onely in the Lord, but al&s;o for the Lord? Oh that it were the good will of God, that the good hour were now come, that I might go with you! ah that my &s;ins made me not unworthy of &s;uch an excellent dignity!</P>
<P>Be thankful dear hearts, be thankful, and rejoyce in the Lord; for mighty is his mercy towards you, and great is your reward in Heaven, the which you like faithful per&s;ons have plucked to you with a godly violence of an invincible Faith. Oh worthy warriers of the mo&s;t high captain! Oh con&s;tant Confe&s;&s;ors of the everla&s;t|ing verity! how glorious a Crown of victory &s;hall you &s;hortly receive, which is prepared for all &s;uch as do continue to the end?
<PB N="27" REF="24"> Oh you &s;weet Saints of the Lord, how precious &s;hall your death be in his &s;ight? Oh how dear are your Souls to your Redeemer, in who&s;e hands they &s;hall mo&s;t joyfully re&s;t, and the pains of death &s;hall never touch you? Oh how ble&s;&s;ed &s;hall you be, when Chri&s;t &s;hall appear, at the which time you &s;hall receive your bodies again full of Immortality? Oh how joyful &s;hall you be when Chri&s;t, according to his promi&s;e &s;hall knowledge you before his Father and his holy Angels, as you have mo&s;t con&s;tantly confe&s;&s;ed him to be your Lord and onely Saviour before men?</P>
<P>Oh ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Green,</HI> thou meek and loving Lamb of the Lord, how happy art thou to be appointed to dye for his &s;ake? A full dainty di&s;h art thou for the Lords own tooth, Fre&s;h and Green &s;halt thou be in the hou&s;e of the Lord, and thy fruits &s;hall never wither nor decay. Although thou go here forth &s;owing thy good fruits with Tears, the time &s;hall come that thou &s;halt reap with joy and glad|ne&s;s the fruits of everla&s;ting life, and that without cea&s;ing. Be merry therefore, and <HI>fear not,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.</NOTE> <HI>for it is thy Fathers will to give thee a King|dome,</HI> whereunto he hath cho&s;en thee before the foundations of the World were laid.</P>
<P>Oh happy Mini&s;ter, thou man of God, how glad maye&s;t thou be of Gods gracious favour, which hath prevented thee in the day of thy tryal? Oh happy <HI>Peter,</HI> who&s;e part thou ha&s;t well played; therefore thy reward and portion &s;hall be like unto his. Now ha&s;t thou good experience of mans infirmity, but much more proof and ta&s;te, yea &s;en&s;e and feeling of Gods abundant bottomle&s;s mer|cy. Although <HI>Satan de&s;ired to &s;ift thee,</HI> yet Chri&s;t thy good Captain, <HI>prayed that thy Faith &s;hould not fail.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> Gods &s;trength is made per|fect by thy weakne&s;s, and his grace is &s;ufficient for thee his dear Childe. Thine Example did &s;o incourage and &s;trengthen thy poor Brethren, that God is every way glorified by thee, and &s;hortly will he glorifie thee with him&s;elf, with that glory which he hath prepa|red for thee his Elect darling before the World was made. There|fore rejoyce and be glad, for thou ha&s;t good occa&s;ion, in finding &s;uch favour in his fight.</P>
<P>This is mo&s;t true (oh my other Brethren, whom I do not know, neither have I heard much of you) happy are you that ever you
<PB N="28" REF="25"> were born, and ble&s;&s;ed be our God which hath given you &s;uch Victory over the bloody Bea&s;t. Shortly &s;hall you be clothed in large white garments,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 19.</NOTE> and fine rayne&s;s of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and &s;o &s;hall you follow the Lamb on Mount Sion with new Songs of Mirth and Melody, for your delivery forth of Satans Power and tyranny. God for evermore be ble&s;&s;ed for you, and &s;trengthen you to the end, as I doubt not but he will: for he never failed them that put their tru&s;t in him.</P>
<P>Oh my dear and faithful &s;i&s;ter <HI>Joane Warner,</HI> what &s;hall I &s;ay to thee? Thy tryal hath been great; thy Victory in Chri&s;t hath been notable, thou ha&s;t overcome many a &s;harp &s;hower and &s;torm: &s;hortly &s;halt thou arrive at the Haven of quiet re&s;t, and receive a reward due to a con&s;tant Martyr. Thou &s;halt go home to thy Heavenly Father, and po&s;&s;e&s;s for ever the inheritance which Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed for thee, where thy earthly Parents be, &s;till looking for thee, which have triumphed over Antichri&s;t mo&s;t victoriou&s;ly. Oh ble&s;&s;ed Parents of happy Children, which have &s;hewed &s;uch an example, as the like hath been &s;eldome &s;een. I &s;alute thee dear Si&s;ter of like con&s;tant minde; who&s;e con&s;tant example is worthy of continual memory. Prai&s;ed be God for you mine own &s;weet &s;i&s;ters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.</NOTE> which hath made you to play &s;uch wi&s;e Virgins parts. He hath plentifully poured the oyle of his Spirit into the Lamps of your Faith, &s;o that the light hereof &s;hall never be extinct. You &s;hall enter with your Bridegroom into everla&s;ting joy, whereunto you were cho&s;en in him from the beginning.</P>
<P>Oh my dear Brethren and &s;i&s;ters, you ble&s;&s;ed Saints of the Lord, how much and how deeply am I bound to prai&s;e God for you both day and night? Pray, pray for me (my dear hearts) for the ten|der mercy of God, that I may be made worthy to follow your trace. Oh that I had run the race of my life as far as you have done yours,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 5.</NOTE> and were as nigh my journeys end as you be unto yours. But alas, I lye like the lame man at the Pooles &s;ide by <HI>Solomons Porch,</HI> and every man goeth into the place of health before me: But God will appoint me one, one day to put me in. I tru&s;t my Lord of <HI>London</HI>'s Colehou&s;e is empty, and all his Officers idle: therefore they mu&s;t &s;hortly fetch more &s;heep to the &s;hambles; for
<PB N="29" REF="25"> he is the common &s;laughter-&s;lave of all <HI>England.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">B. <HI>Bonner</HI> called the &s;laughter &s;lave of <HI>England</HI></NOTE> But happy are you that are pa&s;&s;ed through the Pikes, and delivered out of his hands, and from all the Angels of the Darkne&s;s of this World, which long tempted you in the Wilderne&s;s of the &s;ame: but now &s;hall the Angels of God come and mini&s;ter unto you, for they are your Servants to hold you up in their hands, that you &s;hall not hurt your foot, no nor one hair of your head &s;hall peri&s;h. They &s;hall carry you up to heaven in a fiery Chariot,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 60. 2 King 2.</NOTE> though you leave your Mantle behinde you for a time, till God re&s;tore the &s;ame to you again in a more ample and glorious &s;ort.</P>
<P>Thus in ha&s;te, (as it doth appear,) I am con&s;trained to make an end, committing you all to Gods mo&s;t merciful defence: who ever have you in his ble&s;&s;ed keeping; de&s;iring you all to remember me in your godly and faithful Prayers, as I will not forget you in mine, by Gods grace. The ble&s;&s;ing of God be with you all, my dear Brethren and &s;i&s;ters. All our Brethren and fellow-pri&s;oners here have them mo&s;t heartily commended unto you, and pray for you without cea&s;ing. God &s;end us a merry meeting in his Kingdome. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>By your Brother and unfeigned lover, <HI>John Careles</HI> Pri&s;oner, abiding his mo&s;t merciful will and plea&s;ure. <HI>Pray, pray, pray.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>To my faithful and loving Brother, <HI>W. Tyms,</HI> Pri&s;oner in <HI>Newgate.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Everla&s;ting peace of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, with the continu|all joy, comfort and &s;trength of his &s;weet Spirit be multiplied, and daily more and more increa&s;ed in your good heart (my mo&s;t faithful and dear Brother <HI>Tyms,</HI>) to the full quieting of your Con|&s;cience, and beating back of all the fiery darts of the wicked, that you may &s;hortly receive the glorious Crown of Victory, and in the &s;ame triumph over all your Enemies for evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>I cannot expre&s;s the exceeding great joy and con&s;olation of my poor heart, con&s;idering the marvellous works of God mo&s;t graciou&s;ly wrought upon you not onely in proving you, and trying
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<PB N="30" REF="27"> your Faith by his great and huge Cro&s;&s;es both inwardly and out|wardly, but al&s;o in giving you &s;o great Con&s;olation and Con&s;tancy in the mid&s;t of the &s;ame. Faithful is God, and true of his Pro|mi&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods Children never tempted a|bove their &s;trength.</NOTE> who hath &s;aid, <HI>That he will never &s;uffer his cho&s;en children to be tempted above their &s;trength, but in the mid&s;t of their temptation will make an out-&s;cape for them,</HI> by &s;uch means as may make to his glory and their everla&s;ting con&s;olation. My dear heart, great cau&s;e have you to be of good comfort, for I &s;ee in you as lively a token of Gods everla&s;ting love and favour in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as ever I perceived in any man: in re&s;pect whereof I do even with my heart love, honour and reverence you, be&s;eeching God for his glo|rious Name &s;ake, in the Bowels and Blood of our Lord and onely Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">He confirmeth <HI>W. Tims</HI> being condemned to the day of his Martyrdome.</NOTE> to fini&s;h his good work in you, as I doubt not but he will do, according to his infallible Promi&s;es: yea, I am well a&s;&s;ured thereof, fora&s;mu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h as you have &s;o effectually received his holy Spirit into your heart, as a pledg and &s;ure Seal of your eter|nal Redemption, and a Te&s;timony of your Adoption in Chri&s;t Je|&s;us. For which cau&s;e Satan &s;o &s;ore envieth you, that he hath now bent all his fierce Ordnance again&s;t you, thinking thereby utterly to de&s;troy the invincible Fort of your Faith, founded mo&s;t firmly upon the unmoveable Rock CHRIST, again&s;t the which, the Devil, Sin, nor yet Hell gates &s;hall never prevail. <HI>Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore, mine own Bowels in the Lord, be not di&s;comforted for this your Conflict, which doubtle&s;s &s;hall greatly increa&s;e your Crown of Glory, Triumph and Victory: but take a good heart un|to you, and buckle boldly with Satan, both in him&s;elf and in his &s;ubtile Members.<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is the nature of Gods Chil|dren to be temp|ted.</NOTE> It is the very divine Ordinance of God, that all his regenerate Children &s;hall be tempted, proved and tryed: as we &s;ee by the Example of our Saviour Chri&s;t, who as &s;oon as he was Baptized was &s;traightwayes led of the Holy Gho&s;t into the Wilderne&s;s, there to be tempted of the Devil. But there got he &s;uch a glorious victory over Satan, that he could never &s;ince finally prevail again&s;t any of his poor Members, but in every a&s;&s;ault that he maketh either inwardly or outwardly, he getteth a foyle, and taketh &s;hame: &s;o that now he rageth with all the &s;pight po&s;&s;ible, &s;pecially
<PB N="31" REF="27"> becau&s;e he knoweth his time is but &s;hort.<NOTE PLACE="marg">James 4.</NOTE> St. <HI>James</HI> te&s;tifieth that he is but a very Coward, that will &s;oon flie, if he be faithfully re|&s;i&s;ted. And as for his tempting Tools, the Lord hath made them manife&s;t unto us, &s;o that he cannot deceive us, though he a&s;&s;ault us;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satans tempting tools. 2 Cor. 2.</NOTE> for as St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>his very thoughts are not unknown unto us,</HI> as it doth in you largely appear, prai&s;ed be the Lords Name therefore.</P>
<P>You &s;ee, dear Brother, that now to mole&s;t you and &s;uch as you are, that be even pa&s;&s;ing from this Vale of Mi&s;ery, he hath but two wayes, or two pieces of Ordnance to &s;hoot at you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Two principal pellets of Satan whereby he a&s;|&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ulteth Gods Servants. 1. Fear of &s;in and death, and Infidelity of Gods promi&s;es. Remedy again&s;t Fear and Infi|delity.</NOTE> with the which he cannot hurt you, becau&s;e you have two bulwarks to defend you. The fir&s;t of the&s;e terrible Guns that Satan hath &s;hot at you, is the very &s;ame that he continually &s;hooteth at me, that is to &s;ay, <HI>Fear</HI> and <HI>Infidelity;</HI> for the ugly&s;omne&s;s of death, and horrour of my &s;ins, which be &s;o many, grievous and great: but this Pellet is ea&s;ily put away with the &s;urer &s;hield of Faith in the mo&s;t precious death and blood&s;hedding of our dear Lord and onely Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, whom the Father hath given unto us wholy to be ours for <HI>evermore, and with him hath given us all things,</HI> as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith: So that though we be never &s;o great &s;inners, yet Chri&s;t is made unto us Holyne&s;s, Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and ju&s;tification. He hath clothed us with all his Merits, Mercies and mo&s;t &s;weet &s;ufferings, and hath taken unto him all our mi&s;ery, wretchedne&s;s, &s;in and infirmity. So that if any &s;hould now be condemned for the &s;ame, it mu&s;t needs be Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, which hath taken them upon him. But indeed he hath made &s;ati&s;faction for them to the uttermo&s;t jot; &s;o that for his &s;ake they &s;hall never be imputed to us, if they were a Thou&s;and times &s;o many moe as they be. This do you mo&s;t effectually feel and know, dear Brother, a great deal better then I can tell you, ble&s;&s;ed be God therefore.</P>
<P>And now Satan, &s;eeing he cannot prevail with his boi&s;terous Battery again&s;t this Bulwark of Faith, which doth &s;o quench all his fiery darts, that they can do you no harm, but rather do you good &s;ervice, to ca&s;t you down under the mighty hand of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd pel|let of Satan is confidence and tru&s;t in our own good works.</NOTE> that he may take you up by his onely grace and power, and &s;o you may render him all the glory by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t (which thing the Enemy cannot abide in no wi&s;e) therefore he &s;hooteth off his other Piece
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<PB N="32" REF="29"> mo&s;t pe&s;tilent, to provoke you to put &s;ome part of your tru&s;t and confidence in your &s;elf, and in your own holine&s;s and righteou&s;ne&s;s, that you might that way rob God of his glory, Chri&s;t of his honour and dignity of his death.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Remedy again&s;t the &s;econd Pel|let.</NOTE> But ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God, you have al&s;o a full &s;trong Bulwark to beat back this pe&s;tiferous Pellet al&s;o, even the pure Law of God, which proveth the be&s;t of us all damnable &s;inners in the &s;ight of God, if he would enter into judgement with us according to the &s;everity of the &s;ame, and that even our be&s;t works are polluted and defiled in &s;uch &s;ort,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay. 64.</NOTE> as the Pro|phet de&s;cribeth them. With which manner of &s;peaking, our free-will Phari&s;ees are much offended, for it felleth all mans Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s to the ground, (I had like to have &s;aid, to the bottom of Hell) and extolleth onely the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is allowed before God, and is freely given to all tho&s;e that firmly believe, as ble&s;&s;ed be God you do.</P>
<P>Ah my good brother <HI>Tyms,</HI> Satan hath put his hand in a wrong box when he beginneth to tempt you, either to Vain-glory or mi&s;tru&s;t: for you are an old beaten &s;ouldier, and have had good experience of the&s;e manner of Temptations, both by your &s;elf and other, whom you know well were the beloved of God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satan overcome in Gods Saints.</NOTE> 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 &s;hot off all his la&s;t Pieces, wherewith he had thought to have done mo&s;t mi&s;chief; but now he &s;eeth he cannot prevail, (the &s;trong Tower of your Faith being &s;o invincible) he will pluck up all his Tents, and get him to &s;ome other place to practi&s;e the like a&s;&s;aults: and then will the Angels of God come and mini&s;ter unto you the mo&s;t &s;weet and heavenly Con&s;olations of the holy Gho&s;t. To him therefore who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that ever we can de&s;ire or think, I do mo&s;t heartily commit you, with all the re&s;t of your Godly Pri&s;on-fellows, who comfort, &s;trengthen, and defend you with his grace, &amp; mighty operation of his holy Spi|rit, as he hath hitherto done, that you having a mo&s;t glorious Victory over the &s;ubtile Serpent and all his wicked &s;eed, may al&s;o receive the Crown of Glory and Immortality, prepared for you before the foundations of the World were laid, and is &s;o &s;urely kept for
<PB N="33" REF="29"> you in the hands of him who is infallible, that the Devil, Sin, Death or Hell &s;hall never be able to deprive you of the &s;ame. The ble&s;|&s;ing of God be with you now and for evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI> Pray, pray, pray for me.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your own for ever, <HI>John Careles.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>To my good Si&s;ter, Mrs. <HI>Cotton.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Peace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the eternall Comforts of his &s;weet Spirit, be with you my dear and faithfull Si&s;ter, to the full accompli&s;hment of that good work which he hath mo&s;t graciou&s;ly begun in you, that the &s;ame may be effectuall to the &s;etting forth of his glory, and to your everla&s;ting Con&s;olation in him. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>My loving and faithfull Si&s;ter in the Lord, I thank you for all your loving kindne&s;s &s;hewed unto me, but especially for your godly re|membrance of me in your fervent and faithfull Prayers, and for your mo&s;t godly and comfortable Letter, whereby you do not onely much in|crea&s;e my joy and comfort, but al&s;o put me in remembrance of my duty towards you.</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord our God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods great gift in women.</NOTE> which of his great mercy hath &s;o beau|tified his Church in the&s;e dayes, that even unto many godly women he hath given mo&s;t excellent gifts of knowledge and under&s;tanding of his Truth, &s;o that they are not onely well able to inform their own Con&s;cien|ces in all things nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation, but al&s;o mo&s;t &s;weetly to comfort their &s;orrowfull Brethren and Si&s;ters that &s;u&s;tain any trouble for the Te&s;timony of Gods Truth; yea, and that which is more, even in the midde&s;t of their great Conflicts of Con&s;cience. Of which mo&s;t happy number of godly and virtuous women, my dear heart, you are one, and that of the chiefe&s;t, being plentifully endued with the gifts of Gods mo&s;t gracious Spirit, as it doth full well appear in your daily doings: God onely have the prai&s;e therefore.</P>
<P>Fora&s;much then as God hath given you the gift to write,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note how God &s;ometime giveth comfort by wea|ker ve&s;&s;els.</NOTE> I &s;hall mo&s;t heartily de&s;ire you to let me hear from you &s;ometimes, be it never &s;o little, for truly I t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ke great Comfort and Courage thereby, specially in
<PB N="34" REF="30"> my poor Con&s;cience, which is &s;ore a&s;&s;aulted of &s;ubtile Satan, and in a manner oppre&s;&s;ed of my &s;in. Pray, dear S &s;ter, that God may give me true, hearty, and earne&s;t Repentance, and increa&s;e my Faith, for they are both the good gifts of God onely, and farre pa&s;s the reach of my power, to take at my plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Therefore, dear Si&s;ter, if you w ll help me to beg the &s;ame of our dear loving Father, I am &s;ure that he both can and will g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve them me in his good time. And as for the fear of Death, or terrour of the Fire, I mo&s;t heartily thank my good God I feel it not: onely it is mine own &s;ins and unthankefulne&s;s which holdeth hard battel, and wageth &s;trong warre again&s;t me, which onely goeth about to &s;eparate me from my good Captain Chri&s;t, that I &s;hould not enjoy his glorious victory; but God being on my &s;ide, (as I am &s;ure he is) that cannot continually prev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">il again&s;t me. Though God for a time permit Satan to take his plea&s;ure on me, as he did upon <HI>Job,</HI> yet I doubt not but in the end all &s;hall turn to my profit, through the Merits of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, To who&s;e mo&s;t mercifull defence I commit you, dear Si&s;ter, with all the re&s;t of the Lords Elect. Farewell in Chri&s;t.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your unfeignedly, <HI>John Careles. Pray, pray, pray, pray.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>To my dear Brother, <HI>T. V.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe everla&s;ting peace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the continual Comforts of his mo&s;t pure and holy Spirit, be with you my mo&s;t dear friend and faithful Brother <HI>V.</HI> to the increa&s;e of your Faith, and comfort of your &s;orrowful Spirit, which is to the Father a &s;weet Sacrifice through Chri&s;t: for who&s;e &s;ake he will never de&s;pi&s;e your humble and contrite heart, but doth favourably accept the &s;ame, and will in mo&s;t ample wi&s;e perform the de&s;ire thereof to his Glory, and your eternal Comfort in him.</P>
<P>In the mids of my manifold Cro&s;&s;es and Troubles, wherein I am con&s;trained to flee unto God for refuge and &s;uccour by earne&s;t and faithful Prayer, I cannot forget you (my dear heart in the Lord)
<PB N="35" REF="30"> but e&s;teeming your &s;tate for mine own, I do pour forth my com|plaint for y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u, as I do for my &s;elf, and rather more, as I think pre|&s;ent need doth require, de&s;iring mo&s;t heartily to hear of the good &s;ucce&s;s of the &s;ame in y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u. The Lord God for his mercy &s;ake accompli&s;h my de&s;i e as I doubt not but he will, when he &s;eeth it good, and mo&s;t to his glory, and to your comfort and commodity. O that I might once &s;ee you &s;o merry in Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 57.</NOTE> as you have ju&s;t cau&s;e to be, that you might &s;ay with <HI>David, Awake my glory, awake lute and harp, bring forth the p&s;altery with the merry &s;ong, that I might &s;ing a new &s;ong of prai&s;e and thanksgiving unto the Lord, for the light of his fa|vourable countenance, his help and deliverance.</HI> Oh!<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.</NOTE> that would re|fre&s;h me as a mo&s;t precious Oyle, and gladden my poor heart, which is a&s;&s;aulted with &s;orrow moe wayes then one.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Comfort for a &s;ick Con&s;cience.</NOTE> I doubt not but the &s;ame &s;hall 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 &s;uch gladne&s;s as &s;hall continue for ever.</P>
<P>But in the mean &s;pace (I &s;ay) mo&s;t happy are you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.</NOTE> that &s;o heartily mourn the ab&s;ence of the Bridegroom. If you were not a wedding-childe you could never do it. Onely Chri&s;ts true Di&s;ciples do mourn for his ab&s;ence; therefore &s;hall they doubtle&s;s rejoyce at his pre&s;ence, which will be &s;o much more joyful, by how much the ab&s;ence is more &s;orrowful.</P>
<P>Therefore, my good Brother, take a good heart unto you, and be of good chear: Say with the Prophet <HI>David, O my Soul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42.</NOTE> <HI>why art thou &s;o heavy, and why art thou &s;o di&s;quieted within me? O put thy tru&s;t in God, for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his loving countenance, and becau&s;e he is my God.</HI> Read the 41 &amp; 42 <HI>P&s;alm</HI> for your comfort, and con&s;ider that the holy King and Prophet, at the making and fir&s;t &s;aying of them, was even in the &s;ame ca&s;e that you are now in; but he &s;till comforted him&s;elf with the &s;weet promi&s;es of God: and &s;o do you, my dear heart, for to you they do as well pertain, as they did to him, and as &s;urely &s;hall they be performed upon you, as they were upon him; for he is one God and dear Father unto you both and for his Mercy, Truth and Promi&s;e &s;ake,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods love goeth not by our de&s;er+vings, but by Faith in Je&s;us.</NOTE> he mu&s;t needs make good unto you all that he hath &s;aid.</P>
<P>If his love toward you &s;tood in re&s;pect of your own merit and
<PB N="36" REF="31"> worthine&s;s, you might well mourn, lament and complain; yea, you had good cau&s;e to doubt, fear and mi&s;tru&s;t: but &s;eeing he loveth you onely for and in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is your whole Holine&s;s, Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Redemption, lay away all mourning, lament|ing, and complaining; bani&s;h from you all fear, mi&s;tru&s;t and infide|lity, and know that as long as Chri&s;t doth continue Gods Son, &s;o long mu&s;t the love of the Father continue towards you immutable, and his good will unchangeable, and cannot be altered through any of your infirmities. For this is mo&s;t true, that as long as the Cau&s;e of any thing doth la&s;t, &s;o long mu&s;t the Effect remain; but Chri&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s the whole Cau&s;e why the Father loveth you, and he al&s;o continueth for ever:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;t onely is the cau&s;e why his Father lov|eth us.</NOTE> Then mu&s;t I needs conclude, that the love of the Father continueth towards you for ever, and (as the P&s;almi&s;t mo&s;t joyful|ly &s;o often &s;ingeth) <HI>His mercy endureth for ever and ever.</HI></P>
<P>This is mo&s;t true, mine own dear heart, although the Lord for a time hide it from your &s;en&s;es, that you might be the more earne&s;t in Prayer to him for the feeling of it, and al&s;o the more thankfull for it when he doth give the lively ta&s;te of it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Why God &s;ome|time hideth him|&s;elf from us.</NOTE> as doubtle&s;s he will do ere ever it be long; and then &s;hall you be well able to comfort other in the &s;ame &s;tate that you are now in, with the &s;ame comfort where|with you are and further &s;hall be comforted of God.</P>
<P>Therefore lift up your hands that are now a little fallen down, and &s;tretch forth the weak knees of your troubled minde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.</NOTE> which now mourneth with a godly mourning, and therefore &s;hall it be full well comforted with that &s;weet peace of God which pa&s;&s;eth all under&s;tanding, and you are &s;ure already to enjoy the ble&s;&s;ing that Chri&s;t gave unto the godly mourners of Sion upon the mount,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 7.</NOTE> at the fir&s;t Sermon that he made. O happy <HI>V.</HI> in who&s;e mourning company I had rather be, then in the hou&s;e of mirth and banquetting of &s;uch as &s;ee not what cau&s;e they have to mourn and be &s;orry.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mea&s;ure ought to be in mourn|ing.</NOTE> But yet my good Brother, u&s;e a mea&s;ure in this your godly mourning, and make not your faithful Friends too much &s;orry for you. Let the per&s;wa&s;ions of &s;uch godly lovers as you do daily company withal, or rather the per&s;wa&s;ions of the holy Gho&s;t by them, move you to &s;ome godly mirth and rejoycing. Con&s;ider that you are commanded by the mouth of Saint <HI>Paul</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.</NOTE>
<PB N="37" REF="31"> thereto <HI>Rejoyce in the Lord</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>and I &s;ay again Rejoyce.</HI> Mark how he doubleth the Sentence, that we may perceive it is a mo&s;t earne&s;t and nece&s;&s;ary thing he requireth. Obey the Command|ment of God in this behalf: wherein as you cannot but highly plea&s;e him, &s;o I a&s;&s;ure you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Example of Chri&s;tian Chari|ty and compa&s;&s;i|on towards his afflicted Brother</NOTE> you &s;hall very much rejoyce my poor heart, and the hearts of other which pray for you with mourning tears, and make that cruel enemy Satan, and all your adver&s;aries &s;orry, which will rejoyce and laugh to &s;ee you mourn. Oh my good Brother, let it manife&s;tly appear that the Lord of his great mercy hath hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d our faithful and hearry reque&s;ts for you. Oh how would that rejoyce me in the mids of my troubles?</P>
<P>Therefore now to conclude, becau&s;e the darkne&s;s con&s;traineth me to make an end for this time, I &s;ay my dear and faithful Brother <HI>V.</HI> in re&s;pect of the great cau&s;e you have of your own part through Chri&s;t, and for the glory and honour of almighty God, the com|fort, joy and rejoycing of your dear Brethren and Si&s;ters in Chr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t, al&s;o your own duety by the Commandment of God, and la&s;t of all to vex, mole&s;t and grieve Satan withal, Rejoyce in the Lord, and be mo&s;t heartily glad in him, who is wholly yours, and you are his, and &s;hall be for evermore. <HI>Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Farewel mine own Bowels in the Lord, and prai&s;e God with joyful lips and a merry heart, and pray for me his mo&s;t unprofitable Servant, which have more cau&s;e, concerning my &s;elf, to lament then any one man living: but my good bridegroom is pre&s;ent, and bid|deth me ca&s;t away my mourning garments, and therefore I mu&s;t needs be merry with him; and &s;o he biddeth you to be by my mouth, for he is pre&s;ent with you, although for &s;orrow you cannot know him, as <HI>Magdalen</HI> could not in the garden, until he &s;pake unto her. The Lord God &s;peak the&s;e words of comfort in your heart, and open the eyes of your minde, that you may perfectly perceive and feel his ble&s;&s;ed pre&s;ence, and &s;o rejoyce in the &s;ame for evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI> Comfort your heart in Chri&s;t, and ca&s;t your care upon him, for he careth for you.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Brother in the Lord, abiding his good plea&s;ure, <HI>John Careles.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<HEAD>To my dear and faithful Brother, <HI>Augu&s;tine Bernher.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe peace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the help, comfort and a&s;&s;i&s;t|ance of his eternal Spirit, be with you my dear and faithful Brother <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> and with all the re&s;t of my good Brethren and Si&s;ters of the hou&s;es of <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">xterly</HI> and <HI>Manceter,</HI> (which mourn|eth for the mi&s;ery of Gods People) to your everla&s;ting Con&s;ola|tion in him. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Right glad I am to hear my dear and faithful Brother <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI>) that God of his great mercy and infinite goodne&s;s, hath yet &s;o graciou&s;ly delivered and pre&s;erved you out of your enemies hands, be&s;eeching Almighty God al&s;o, from the bottom of my heart, to be your continual defence unto the end as hitherto he hath mo&s;t graciou&s;ly been, that you may live and dye both to Gods Glory, the commodity of his Church, and to the increa&s;e of your own everla&s;ting joy and comfort in him.</P>
<P>Know you dear Brother, that I have received your Letter, for the which, I heartily thank you. Indeed I think it very &s;hort, al|though it &s;eemeth &s;omething &s;harply to rebuke me in the beginning for the breach of my promi&s;e, in not writing to you of this long time. Well Brother, I am content to bear it with patience, con|&s;idering that you are troubled otherwi&s;e (the Lord comfort you and all heavy hearts) neither will I &s;pend Ink and Paper for my purgation in this point. God be knoweth whether I be &s;o mind|le&s;s of my promi&s;e, as it appeareth in your &s;ight I am. Your re|que&s;t I will truly perform to the uttermo&s;t of my power, as gladly as any poor wretch &s;hall do in the World, and I thank God I have done no le&s;s of long time. And as my poor Prayer &s;hall be a handmaid to wait upon you which way &s;oever you ride or go; &s;o I be&s;eech you that my &s;imple coun&s;el may take &s;ome place in you, in this time of your pilgrimage, which you pa&s;s in no &s;mall peril: God keep and pre&s;erve you for his Names &s;ake.<NOTE PLACE="marg">He coun&s;elleth <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> to be circum&s;pect, &amp; not ra&s;hly to thru&s;t him&s;elf in danger.</NOTE> I do not di&s;allow, but much prai&s;e and commend your hearty boldne&s;s in putting your &s;elf in prea&s;e, when any one of Gods People needeth your help in any point. But yet I would not have you thru&s;t your &s;elf in danger,
<PB N="39" REF="32"> when you can do them no good, or at lea&s;t wi&s;e when they may well enough &s;pare that good you would do them: for if you &s;hould then chance to be taken you &s;hall not onely be no comfort unto them, but al&s;o a great di&s;comfort, adding &s;orrow unto their &s;orrow.</P>
<P>I do not per&s;wade you to ab&s;ent your &s;elf from any place <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">here your pre&s;ence of nece&s;&s;ity is required: for in all &s;uch pla|ces, I know, God will pre&s;erve you, as he hath hithe to wonder|fully done, prai&s;ed be his Name therefore: or if it &s;hall plea&s;e him to permit you in any &s;uch place to be taken, I know he will mo&s;t &s;weetly comfort your Con&s;cience with this con&s;ideration, That it is the very Providence and Appointment of God, that you &s;hould there and then be taken up for a Witne&s;s of his Truth unto the world: But I cannot allow, nor be contented that you &s;hould ra&s;hly or negligently thru&s;t your &s;elf into that place where your wicked enemies do continually haunt, yea and lay wait for you, when no nece&s;&s;ity of your &s;elf, nor of any other of Gods people, doth re|quire your company. If they need any of your godly coun&s;el you may write unto them that thing that you think good; which (I dare &s;ay) will be &s;ufficient unto them. For (continuall thanks and prai&s;es be given unto the Everla&s;ting God) there is none of tho&s;e that be cruelly condemn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d for Gods Truth, that now be weaklings: for they have manfully pa&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d through the Pikes, and they have boldly abidden the brunt of the Battel, and therefore I reckon the wor&s;t is pa&s;t with them already: So that now and then a godly Letter from you to them &s;hall do as much good as your company &s;hall do, and perchance more too; for writing &s;ticketh longer in the memory then word do: yea, though your Letters were as &s;hort to them, as your la&s;t was to me, &s;o that the &s;ame be &s;omething &s;weeter, and not all thing &s;o &s;harp.</P>
<P>This (dear Brother) is the &s;imple coun&s;el which I would gladly have you ob&s;erve, partly for that I heartily pray for your pre&s;er|vation to the commodity of Chri&s;ts Church, and partly for that I unfeignedly w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h the peace, comfort and tranquility of your own Con&s;cience, which I know will be quickly ready to accu&s;e you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A good Con&s;ci|ence is &s;oon troubled.</NOTE> if you do any thing wherein you have not the Word of God for your
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<PB N="40" REF="34"> warrant. For in a gla&s;s that is clear, a &s;mall mote will &s;oon ap|pear: even &s;o the good Con&s;cience of Gods cho&s;en children be|ing more clear then Chry&s;tal, will quickly accu&s;e them at the lea&s;t fault they do commit, whereas the wicked worldlings have their Con&s;cience &s;o clogged and corrupted through the cu&s;tome of &s;in, that they cannot &s;ee nor perceive their own &s;hameful deeds and wic|ked works, until God &s;et the &s;ame before them for their utter <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">+&s;truction, and then de&s;pair they immediately. But &s;eeing that God hath given you a clear Con&s;cience, and a pure, &s;harp, quick, and lively &s;ight in your Soul, I would wi&s;h you to beware that you do nothing unadvi&s;edly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;cience of &s;in is &s;ometimes taken where none is commit|ted.</NOTE> but upon a good ground: for an accu&s;ing Con&s;cience is a &s;ore thing when death doth approach, and then Sa|tan will not &s;tick to tell you that you have too much tempted God, when peradventure you have done nothing &s;o at all For this cau&s;e (I &s;ay) partly I have thought it good to admoni&s;h you (as I have done often) to be circum&s;pect, according to the coun&s;el of Chri&s;t, which biddeth you to beware of men.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10.</NOTE> Other things I have not to write, for I know this Bearer can certifie you of all things at large, better then I can declare it by writing.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you, good <HI>Augu&s;tine,</HI> help me forward by your hearty Prayers, for I tru&s;t I have but a &s;mall time in this trouble&s;ome World: Dr. <HI>Story</HI> told our Mar&s;hal, that we &s;hould all be di&s;|patched &s;o &s;oon as he came from <HI>Oxford,</HI> whither he and other bloody Butchers be gone to make &s;laughter of Chri&s;ts &s;heep that lye there appointed to be &s;lain. God for Chri&s;ts &s;ake put them and &s;uch like be&s;ides their cruel purpo&s;e, if it be his good w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll and plea|&s;ure; Amen good Lord. I pray you do my mo&s;t hearty commenda|tions to my good Si&s;ter and faithful Friend, good Mris. <HI>Mary Glover:</HI> I be&s;eech God be her comfort, as I doubt not but he is. I am very glad to hear that &s;he doth &s;o joyfully and &s;o patiently bear this great Cro&s;s that God hath laid upon her. I pray God &s;treng|then her, and all other his dear Saints unto the end. <HI>Amen.</HI> Com|mend me unto my dear and faithful Si&s;ter <HI>Elizabeth B.</HI> I thank her mo&s;t heartily for her Napkin, and &s;o I do you dear Brother for my &s;hirt. Truly that day that we were appointed to come to our An|&s;wer before the Commi&s;&s;ioners (which had &s;ent word the &s;ame
<PB N="41" REF="34"> morning, that they would come to the Kings Bench by eight of the clock, and the hou&s;e, and all things were trimmed and made ready for them) I got that Shirt on my back and that Napkin in my hand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Chri&s;tian courage of <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hn Careles.</HI></NOTE> and me thought that they did help to harne&s;s me and weapon me well, to go fight again&s;t that Bloody Bea&s;t of Babylon. And tru&s;t me truly, if they had come, I would have &s;tricken three &s;trokes the more for your two &s;akes, as well as God would have abled me to have &s;et them on, as by Gods grace I will not fail to do at the next Skirmi&s;h that I come to: wherefore I pray you pray for me, that I may be &s;trong and hardy to lay on good load. Oh that I might &s;o &s;trike him down, that he &s;hould never be able for to ri&s;e again. But that &s;troke belongeth onely to the Lord, to &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ike at his coming, the which I tru&s;t will be &s;hortly? Oh ha&s;ten it good Lord, and &s;horten the&s;e &s;orrowful and &s;inful dayes, for thy great mercies &s;ake.</P>
<P>Farewel my dear and faithful loving Brother: The Lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d defend, keep and pre&s;erve you from the power of your Enemies v &s;ible and invi&s;ible, and &s;end us a mo&s;t joyful and merry meeting here or el&s;where, as it &s;hall plea&s;e his goodne&s;s to appoint us. In the mean &s;pace I &s;hall mo&s;t earne&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y de&s;ire you to pray for me, for I never had more need in my life: and doubtle&s;s you &s;hall never want my poor prayer, if it &s;hall plea&s;e God to accept the Prayer of &s;o &s;in|ful a wretch as I am The Lord impute not my &s;ins to me, for Ie&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake, unto who&s;e mo&s;t merciful defence, I do mo&s;t heartily commit you. The bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ing of God be with you now and ever. <HI>Amen.</HI> I pray you do my mo&s;t hearty commendations to Mr. <HI>John Glover:</HI> I do not forget him in my daily Prayers, and I tru&s;t he doth Remember me.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your poor Brother, alwayes mindful of you in my Prayer, <HI>John Careles,</HI> Pri&s;oner, abiding Gods plea&s;ure.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<HEAD>To my dear Brother <HI>Henry Adlington,</HI> Pri&s;oner in the <HI>Lollards Tower.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe everla&s;ting peace of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the continual ayd, &s;trength, joy and comfort of his mo&s;t pure, holy and mighty Spirit with the increa&s;e of Faith and lively feeling of his Mercies, be mo&s;t eff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ctuou&s;ly wrought in your heart, my dear and faithful loving Brother <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ingto<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and in the hearts of all your other godly Pri&s;on fellows, to the full fini&s;hing of that good work which the Lord hath mo&s;t graciou&s;ly begun in you, that the &s;ame may be to the &s;etting forth of his glory, the commodity of his poor affli|cted Church, and to your own eternal joy and comfort in him. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>My mo&s;t dear and faithful loving Brother in our Lord, I with all the re&s;t of my loving Brethren here with me, do mo&s;t humbly and heartily commend us unto you, with all faithful Remembrance of you in our daily prayers, giving God earne&s;t thanks on your mo&s;t happy behalf, for that he hath given you &s;uch hearty boldne&s;s and Chri&s;tian con&s;tancy in the faithful confe&s;&s;ion of his everla&s;ting Verity. Ble&s;&s;ed be God for thee, my dearly beloved Brother, which hath vouched thee worthy of &s;o great a dignity, as to &s;uffer for his &s;ake, and the &s;etting forth of his glory. Oh glad in heart maye&s;t thou be, to whom it is given, not onely to believe in thy Lord and Chri&s;t mo&s;t lively; but al&s;o to &s;uffer for his &s;ake, as one of his &s;illy &s;heep appointed to the &s;laughter. Be of good com|fort therefore my good Brother, for your Calling unto the Cro&s;s of Chri&s;t, was after a marvellous &s;ort: &s;urely it was onely the Lords appointment, and therefore he will well perform his own work in and upon you to the great magnifying of his glory, and comfort of your Brethren, who&s;e hearts are mightily refre&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d, to hear how heartily you have behaved your &s;elf hitherto. This pre&s;ent day I received a letter from you, at the reading whereof my Brethren and I were not a little comforted, to &s;ee your Con&s;cience &s;o quieted in Chri&s;t, and your continuance &s;o &s;tedfa&s;t in him: which things be the &s;pecial gifts of God, not given unto every man, but to you his
<PB N="43" REF="36"> dear darling, Elect, and cho&s;en in Chri&s;t, and &s;uch as you be. And whereas you do require to know my &s;imple minde concerning your an&s;wer unto Dr. <HI>Story</HI> and the Chancellor: Truly I &s;ay you did an&s;wer them very well; for there are but two Sacraments indeed, that is to &s;ay, the Sacrament of Bapti&s;m, and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Chri&s;t, as you have full well an&s;wered them: Prai&s;ed be God for his good gifts, who chu&s;eth the weak, to confound the &s;trong, and the fooli&s;h to confound the worldly wi&s;e. If when you come before them again, they do a&s;k you what a Sacrament is; &s;ay you, That a Sacrament, being mini&s;tred accor|ding to Chri&s;ts In&s;titution, is a vi&s;ible Sign of an invi&s;ible Grace,<NOTE PLACE="marg">What a Sacra|ment is.</NOTE> and hath the promi&s;e of Gods Mercy annexed unto it, available to all &s;uch as do worthily receive it, and not unworthily wor&s;hip it: as they would have us to do, contrary to Gods Commandment. And the&s;e properties belonging to Chri&s;ts true Sacraments, cannot be applyed to any one of tho&s;e five Sacraments which they have invented of their own brain, &s;ince Antichri&s;t began to reign, to blinde the people withal.</P>
<P>I perceive dear heart, that upon Friday they do intend to Con|demn you, and to give you your Judgement. Therefore I think they w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll have no great rea&s;oning with you, but bid you an&s;wer them directly, either Yea, or Nay, to all &s;uch things as they have to charge you withal, which they have gathered of you &s;ince you came into their cruel hands. But if they will needs make many words with you, becau&s;e you are but a &s;imple man, and therefore perchance they will be the bu&s;ier with you to trouble you with many que&s;tions, to cumber your knowledge, and then &s;eem to triumph over you, and that truth that you do hold: if (I &s;ay) they do this (as perhaps for &s;ome evil purpo&s;e they will) then be you &s;o plain and &s;hort as you can, &s;aying roundly unto them the&s;e or &s;uch like words, as nigh as you can.</P>
<P><HI>Be it known unto you, that I in all points do believe as it becometh a true Chri&s;tian,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">He in&s;tructeth him how, and what to An&s;wer to the adver&s;a|ries.</NOTE> <HI>and as I have been truly taught in the dayes of that good King</HI> Edward, <HI>of &s;uch godly Preachers and Prophets &s;ent of God, as have &s;ealed their Doctrine with their Blood; from whom I will di&s;&s;ent in no point: for I am a poor man without learning, but am commanded
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<PB N="44" REF="38"> of God to follow the coun&s;el of his con&s;tant Preachers, and &s;o do I in|tend to do, God giving me grace and a&s;&s;i&s;tance thereto. As for you, I know you to be none of Chri&s;ts Shepherds, but ravening Wolves, which come to kill and &s;catter the Flock of Chri&s;t, as the Lord &s;aid you &s;hould; and do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h will us to beware of you and your poi&s;oned Doctrine, bidding us to judge you according to your fruits, whereby all men may &s;ee and know what you be,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">We are bound to follow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ur true Preachers.</NOTE> <HI>that will not be wilfully blinde. But the good Shepherds have given their lives for the defence of Chri&s;ts Flock; and I am commanded to follow their faithful and godly example, and to confe&s;s with them one Truth, even to the fire, if God &s;hall &s;ee it good: and this as a true Chri&s;tian I have hitherto done, and henceforth by Gods grace intend for to do. And if for the &s;ame, God &s;hall &s;uffer you to take away my life, as you have done theirs, I am contented therewith: His will be done,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">God wil require accou~t of blood.</NOTE> <HI>for that onely is good. But of this be you &s;ure, the Lord will &s;hortly call you to account for all the innocent blood that is &s;hed with|in this Realm; which you have brought into a mo&s;t woful ca&s;e, and made many a heavy heart in the &s;ame, and moe I perceive you will make, &s;o long as the Lord for our &s;ins will &s;uffer you to prosper, and untill the time that your own iniquity be full ripe. But then be you &s;ure the Lord will &s;it in Judgement upon you, as well as you do now upon his Saints, and will reward you according to your de&s;ervings: To whom with my whole heart I commit my cau&s;e, and he will make an&s;wer for me, when the full time of my refre&s;hing cometh. In the mean space I will keep &s;ilence with this that I have &s;aid, tru&s;ting that I have &s;ufficiently di&s;charged my con&s;cience in confe&s;&s;ing my Faith and Religion to you, declaring of what Church I am, even of the Catholick Church of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which was well known to be here in</HI> England <HI>in our late good Kings dayes, by two special to|kens which cannot deceive me, nor &s;uffer me to be deceived; that is to &s;ay, The pure Preaching of his holy Word, and the due admini&s;tration of the holy Sacraments, which is not to be &s;een in your Romi&s;h Church, and therefore cannot be called the Church and Spou&s;e of Chri&s;t. I believe in the holy Trinity, and all the other Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith con|tained in the three Creeds, and finally all the Canonicall Scripture to be true in every &s;entence: and I dete&s;t all Sects both of Arrians and Ana|bapti&s;ts, or any other that divide them&s;elves from the true Church of Chri&s;t, which is his My&s;ticall Body, the Ground and Pillar of Truth,
<PB N="45" REF="38"> and the very Hou&s;e of the living God. And if for the&s;e things you take away my life, and make your &s;elves 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 &s;ure, your judgement &s;leepeth not, but when you cry Peace, peace, and all is &s;afe, then &s;hall your plagues be|gin like the &s;orrows of a woman travelling with childe,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 5.</NOTE> <HI>according to Chri&s;ts infallible Po<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">mi&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>This kinde of an&s;wer, my dear heart, it &s;hall be be&s;t for you to make, and by Gods grace I do intend to take the &s;ame order my &s;elf in time to come, when the Lord &s;hall vouch me worthy of that great dignity, whereunto he hath called you. And if they &s;hall laugh you to &s;corn, as I know they will, &s;aying thou art a Fool, and an unlearned A&s;s-head, and art able to make an&s;wer to nothing. &amp;c. care not you for it, but &s;till commit your Cau&s;e unto God, who will make an&s;wer for you; &amp; tell them that they have bin an&s;wered again and again of divers godly and learned men: but all will not help, for you have one &s;olution for all manner of que|&s;tions, even a fair Fire and Fagots: this will be the end of your di&s;putations. Therefore I pray you to trouble me no more, but do that which you are appointed, when God &s;hall permit the time. I am no better then Chri&s;t, his Apo&s;tles, and other of my good Brethren that are gone before me.</P>
<P>This kinde of an&s;wer will cut their combs mo&s;t, and edifie the people that &s;tand by, &s;o that the &s;ame be done coldly with &s;obrie|ty, meekne&s;s and patience; as I heard &s;ay our &s;weet Brethren <HI>Tho|mas Harland</HI> and <HI>John O&s;wald</HI> did at <HI>Lewes</HI> in <HI>Su&s;&s;ex,</HI> to the great rejoycing of the children of God that were in tho&s;e parts: and I heard &s;ay, that they were di&s;&s;olved from this earthly tabernacle at <HI>Lewes</HI> on Saturday la&s;t, and were condemned but the Wedne&s;day before: &s;o that we may perceive the Papi&s;ts have quick work in hand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 2.</NOTE> that they make &s;uch ha&s;te to have us home to our heavenly Father. Therefore let us make our &s;elves ready to ride in the fiery Chariot, leaving the&s;e &s;orry Mantles and old Clokes behinde us for a little time, which God &s;hall re&s;tore unto us again in a more glorious wi&s;e.</P>
<P>My good Brother <HI>Harry,</HI> you &s;hall under&s;tand that bragging
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<PB N="46" REF="40"> <HI>John T.</HI> hath beguiled his Keepers (who tru&s;ted him too well) and is run away from them, and hath brought the poor men into great danger by the &s;ame. The one of them is ca&s;t by the Councils Commandment into the Gate-hou&s;e at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter;</HI> the other is fled forth of the Country for fear. Thus you may &s;ee the fruits of our Free-will men, that made &s;o much boa&s;t of their own &s;trength. But that hou&s;e which is not builded &s;urely upon the unmoveable Rock, will not long &s;tand again&s;t the boi&s;terous winds and &s;torms, that blow &s;o &s;trongly in the&s;e dayes of Trouble.</P>
<P>But my dearly beloved Brother, ble&s;&s;ed be God for you, and &s;uch as you be, which have played the parts of wi&s;e Builders. You have digged down pa&s;t the &s;and of your own natural &s;trength, and beneath the earth of your own worldly wi&s;dome, and are now come to the hard Stone and unmoveable Rock Chri&s;t, who is your onely Keeper; and upon him alone you have builded your Faith mo&s;t firmly, without doubting mi&s;tru&s;t or wavering There|fore neither the &s;torms nor tempe&s;ts, winds nor weathers that Satan and all his wily workmen can bring again&s;t you, with the very Gates of Hell to help them, &s;hall ever be able once to move your Hou&s;e, much le&s;s to overthrow it: for the Lord God him&s;elf, and no man, is the Builder thereof, and hath promi&s;ed to pre&s;erve and keep the &s;ame &s;afe for ever. Unto his mo&s;t merciful defence therefore, I do heartily commit you and all your good company, de&s;iring him for his &s;weet Son Je&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake, to confirm and &s;trengthen you all, that you may be con&s;tant unto the very end; that after the final victory is once gotten, you may receive the immerce&s;&s;ible Crown of Glory, of Gods free gift, through his great mercy in Je&s;us Chri&s;t our alone Saviour. To whom with the Father and the Holy Gho&s;t, be all honour, glory prai&s;e, thanks, power, rule and domi|nion, for ever and evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI> The Ble&s;&s;ing of God be with you all.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>John Careles.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
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<HEAD>To my mo&s;t dear and faithfull Brother <HI>T. V.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe everla&s;ting peace of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the continual joy and comfort of his mo&s;t pure holy, and mighty Spirit, with the increa&s;e of Faith and lively feel ng of his mercy, be with you my dear heart in the Lord, and faithful lov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ng brother <HI>T. V.</HI> to the full accompli&s;hing of that good work wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ch <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ath &s;o graciou&s;ly be|gun in you, that the &s;ame, by all means may be to the &s;etting forth of his glory, to the commodity of his poor afflicted Congregation, and to the &s;weet comfort and quietne&s;s of your Con&s;cience in him now and evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>With &s;uch due honour, love and reverence as it becometh me to bear unto the &s;weet Saints, &amp; dearly beloved children of God I have me mo&s;t heartily commended unto you, my dear Brother <HI>V.</HI> with all earne&s;t and faithfull remembrance of you in my daily Prayers, thank|ing God right heartily that you do likewi&s;e remember me in yours, a&s;&s;uring you that my poor heart doth daily feel great Con&s;olation thereby, God onely have the prai&s;e for the &s;ame, 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 goodne&s;s hath u&s;ed me mo&s;t mi&s;erable wretch at any time, as his in&s;trument, to mini&s;ter any thing unto you, either by word or writing, that might be an occa&s;ion of your joy and comfort in the Lord, and a provoking of you to prai&s;e and thank&s;giv ng unto God for the &s;ame, as your mo&s;t loving and godly Letter &s;eemeth to import. Oh happy am I that the Lord hath appointed me unto &s;o good a ground to &s;ow his &s;eed upon; but much more happy are you, who&s;e heart the Lord hath prepared and made &s;o meet to receive the &s;ame &s;o effectuou&s;ly, g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ving thereto the &s;weet &s;howers and heavenly dews of his grace and holy Spirit, that it may bring forth fruit in due &s;ea&s;on ac|cordingly; the increa&s;e whereof we &s;hall &s;hortly reap together, with perfect joy and gladne&s;s, and that continually.</P>
<P>Therefore (my dear Brother) I &s;ay unto you, as good <HI>Elizabeth</HI> did to her Cou&s;in <HI>Mary, Happy are you,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1.</NOTE> <HI>and happy &s;hall you be for evermore, becau&s;e you have believed.</HI> The mo&s;t &s;weet and faithful
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<PB N="48" REF="42"> Promi&s;es of your Redeemer Je&s;us Chri&s;t, you have &s;urely laid up in the trea&s;ury of your heart: his comfortable Callings you have faith|fully heard: his loving Admonitions you have humbly obeyed, and therefore you &s;hall never come into judgement:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins</NOTE> your &s;ins &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll never be remembred, for your Saviour hath ca&s;t them all into he bottom of the Sea:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah 7.</NOTE> he hath removed them from you as far as the Ea&s;t is from the We&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103.</NOTE> and hath given you for an everla&s;ting po&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;|&s;ion his Ju&s;tification and Holine&s;s: So that now no Creature, nei|ther in heaven nor in earth, &s;hall be able to accu&s;e you before the Throne of the heavenly King. Satan is now judged: he is now ca&s;t out from you, he hath no part in you: you are wholly given unto Chri&s;t, which will not lo&s;e you: your &s;tedfa&s;t Faith in him hath overcome that &s;turdy and bragging Prince of the World. Chri&s;t hath given you the final victory over him and all his Army, that they &s;hall never hurt you. What would you have more? Oh my dear heart, how great trea&s;ures are laid up in &s;tore for you, and how glorious a Crown is already made and prepared for you?</P>
<P>And albeit the holy Gho&s;t doth bear witne&s;s of all the&s;e things in your heart,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Te&s;timony of Gods Spirit.</NOTE> and maketh you more &s;ure and certain thereof, then if you had all the outward Oracles in the world; yet I being cer|tainly per&s;waded, and fully a&s;&s;ured by the te&s;timony of Gods Spi|rit in my Con&s;cience, of your eternal and &s;ure Salvation in our &s;weet Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, have thought it good yea and my bounden duty, not onely at this time to write unto you, and to &s;hew my joyful heart in that behalf; but al&s;o by the Word and Commandment of Chri&s;t, to pronounce and affirm in the Name and Word of the heavenly King Jehovah, and in the behalf of his &s;weet Son Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord, to whom all knees &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll bow, whom all creatures &s;hall wor&s;hip, and al&s;o by the impul&s;ion of the holy Gho&s;t by who&s;e power and &s;trength all the faithful be regenerate: I do I &s;ay p onounce to thee my dear B o her <HI>T. V.</HI> that thou art already a Cit zen of Heaven. The Lord thy God, in whom thou do&s;t put all thy tru&s;t, for his dear Sons &s;ake, in whom thou do&s;t al&s;o undoubtedly believe, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a h freely forgiven thee all thy &s;ins, clearly relea&s;ed all thine in qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ties, and fully pardoned all thine offences, be they never &s;o many, &s;o grievous, or &s;o great, and
<PB N="49" REF="42"> will never remember them any more to Condemnation. As truly as he liveth, he will not have thee dye the death, but hath verily de|termined, purpo&s;ed, and eternally decreed, that thou &s;halt live with him for ever. Thy Sore &s;hall be healed, and thy Wounds bound up even of him&s;elf for his own Names &s;ake. He doth not, nor will not look upon thy &s;ins in thee, but he re&s;pecteth and beholdeth thee in Chri&s;t, in whom thou art lively graffed by Faith in his blood, and in whom thou art mo&s;t a&s;&s;uredly elected and cho&s;en to be a &s;weet ve&s;&s;el of his Mercy and Salvation, and wa&s;t thereto pre|de&s;tinate in him before the foundation of the world was laid. In te&s;timony and earne&s;t whereof, he hath given thee his good and holy Spirit, which worketh in thee Faith, Love, and unfeigned Repen|tance, with other godly Vertues, contrary to the Corruption of thy Nature.</P>
<P>Al&s;o he hath commanded me this day (although a mo&s;t unworthy wretch) to be a witne&s;s hereof by the Mini&s;try of his holy Word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Experience of Chri&s;t working in his Church.</NOTE> grounded upon the truth of his mo&s;t faithful Promi&s;es, the which thou believing, &s;halt live for ever. Believe&s;t thou this, my dear heart? I know well thou do&s;t believe. The Lord increa&s;e thy Faith, and give thee a lively feeling of all his mercies, whereof thou art war|ranted and a&s;&s;ured by the te&s;timony of the holy Gho&s;t, who con|firm in thy Con&s;cience (to the utter overthrowing of Satan, and tho&s;e his mo&s;t hurtful dubitations, whereby he is accu&s;tomed to mole&s;t and vex the true Children of God) all that I have &s;aid: and by Gods grace I will, as a witne&s;s thereof, confirm and &s;eal the &s;ame with my blood, for a mo&s;t certain truth.</P>
<P>Wherefore (my good Brother) prai&s;e the Lord with a joyful heart, and give him thanks for this his exceeding great mercy, ca&s;t|ing away all dubitation and wavering, yea all &s;orrow of heart and pen&s;ivene&s;s of mind; for this the Lord your God, and mo&s;t 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 me&s;&s;age, or rather the Lords me&s;&s;age indeed, I could finde in my heart to write two or three &s;heets of paper, declaring the joy I bear in my heart for you, mine own bowels in the Lord: yet the time being &s;o &s;hort (as you do well know) I
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<PB N="50" REF="44"> am here con&s;trained to make an end, de&s;iring you to pardon my &s;lackne&s;s, and to forgive my great negligence towards you, pro|mi&s;ing you &s;till, that &s;o long as my poor life doth la&s;t, my prayer &s;hall &s;upply that my pen doth want; as knoweth the Almighty God, to who&s;e mo&s;t merciful defence I do heartily commit you, and all other his dear children, as well as though I had rehear&s;ed them by Name, de&s;iring them mo&s;t 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 forget them nor you, or any &s;uch like. The ble&s;&s;ing of God be with you all. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours for ever unfeignedly, <HI>John Careles.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<HEAD>A Letter of Thanks to a faithfull Friend of his, by whom he had received much comfort in his inward troubles.</HEAD>
<P>BLe&s;&s;ed be God the Father of all mercy, for the great comfort and Chri&s;tian con&s;olation which he hath &s;o mercifully mini&s;tred unto my poor affl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cted heart by your means, my mo&s;t dear and faith|ful Brother. Truly me thinketh your words, or rather Gods words by you uttered, have a wonderful power and efficacy working in my heart at the hearing or reading of them. Rejoyce therefore, my dear Brother, and be thankful unto God, for verily he both is and will be mightily magnified in you, and that divers and many wayes, both to the &s;trengthning of them that &s;tand in his Truth, and al&s;o to the rai&s;ing up of &s;uch as are faln from the &s;ame. God make me thankful for you, and on your behalf, for verily great is the goodne&s;s of God towards me, in giving me acquaintance in faithful love and amity with you: Gods Name for ever be prai|&s;ed therefore, and he perform all his merciful Promi&s;es upon you, as I doubt not but he will, for his &s;ake in whom you tru&s;t.</P>
<P>I thank my God mo&s;t heartily, and al&s;o you my good Brother, for that you are careful for me in your faithful Prayers, remembring my ju&s;t de&s;erved &s;orrows, as though they were your own, and la|bouring
<PB N="51" REF="44"> &s;o much to &s;olace the &s;ame. Ah my gracious good God, what am I, for whom thou and thy dear Children &s;hould be &s;o careful? Oh &s;weet Lord, forgive me my great ingratitude and &s;in, and grant that I never abu&s;e thy great benefits. Oh let the love of thine Elect, which love me for thy &s;ake, be a &s;ure &s;ign and to|ken, yea a mo&s;t firm te&s;timony and a &s;eal to my &s;inful Con&s;cience, of thine everla&s;ting love and mercy towards me in Chri&s;t; as verily it would and ought to be, if mine infidelity did not let it. Oh cir|cumci&s;e therefore the fore-skin of my heart, that I may with live|ly Faith behold thy great love towards me in all thine Elect, that I may alwayes be thankful for the &s;ame, and love thee and them a|gain mo&s;t heartily and unfeignedly.</P>
<P>Ah my dear heart, how &s;weetly and how truly, yea how godly and how comfortably have yov rehear&s;ed the &s;weet &s;aying of <HI>Solo|mon</HI> concerning pro&s;perity with true and godly friends?<NOTE PLACE="marg">What a trea&s;ure a tru&s;ty friend is</NOTE> I will joyn with it the Sentence which goeth a little before, for doubtle&s;s it may be well verified on you: <HI>A &s;ure friend</HI> (&s;aith the Wi&s;e-man) <HI>will be unto thee even as thine own Soul, and deal faithfully with thy hou&s;hold folk. If thou &s;uffer trouble and adver&s;ity, he is with thee, and hideth not his face from thee. A faithfull friend is a &s;trong defence, who&s;e findeth &s;uch an one, findeth a trea&s;ure. A faithfull friend hath no peer, the weight of gold is not to be compared to the goodne&s;s of his faith. A faithfull friend is a medicine of life, and they that fear the Lord &s;hall finde him, &amp;c.</HI> Lo (my dear heart in the Lord) here is a lively image or de&s;cription of you; for verily &s;uch an one have I alwayes found you unto me, not onely &s;orrowing for my great &s;orrow, but al&s;o oftentimes making me merry and joyful, with &s;uch joyes as the world cannot feel.<NOTE PLACE="marg">There is no true friend&s;hip but among&s;t the godly.</NOTE> Now let the world brag of his feigned friend|&s;hip, but I will boa&s;t of this true friend&s;hip in God, and e&s;teem it a more trea&s;ure then all tran&s;itory things. And as for my mourn|ing, dear Brother, God hath made you to turn it unto mirth: for God hath put you in the &s;tead of them to be my Comfort, whom he hath in his great mercy taken away. I tru&s;t henceforth to leave the mourning for my great lo&s;s, and to prai&s;e God for gaining unto him&s;elf &s;o great glory by his cho&s;en children. God make me a true mourner of Sion, both for mine own &s;in and wickedne&s;s, and
<PB N="52" REF="45"> al&s;o to &s;ee his honour defaced, that I may be made meet and apt to hear the joyful and comfortable me&s;&s;age that your beautiful feet &s;hall bring me. God ble&s;s thee my dear heart, and faithful loving Brother, and increa&s;e his good gifts of grace in thee, as he hath mo&s;t happily begun, that you may daily more effectually feel, and lively perceive the certainty of Gods grace wherein you &s;tand, and firmly to te&s;tifie the &s;ame, to the Conver&s;ion or Confounding of all gain&s;ayers, and to the comfort and confirmation of all Gods dear children. <HI>Amen.</HI> Farewel mine own &s;weet Brother: farewel as mine own heart.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your own in Chri&s;t, <HI>John Careles.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>Another Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> to a certain godly faithful Si&s;ter, by the Name of <HI>E. K.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe grace and free mercy of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the &s;weet Con&s;olations of the holy Gho&s;t the guide of all Gods dear Children, be with you, &s;trengthen and comfort you, my dearly be|loved &s;weet Si&s;ter, <HI>E. K.</HI> now and ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Albeit, my dearly beloved Si&s;ter in Chri&s;t, that as yet we did never &s;ee one another per&s;onally to any knowledge, yet by the virtuous report that I have heard of you, and al&s;o by the large loving Token that I have received from you, methink that I do even pre&s;ently &s;ee you, and behold your per&s;on, faithfully walking in the fear and love of God, joying and rejoycing with you in the Spirit, as though we were &s;weetly talking together of Chri&s;ts Verity. The Lord God do I humbly be&s;eech in the bowels and blood of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that he will &s;trengthen us both with his holy and mighty Spirit, that we may con&s;tantly continue in the confe&s;&s;ion of his Truth unto the end: that like as we now &s;ee one another pre&s;ently in Spirit, we may al&s;o &s;ee one another per&s;onally in the glorious pre&s;ence of God and his holy Angels, where undoubtedly we &s;hall know one anothers per&s;onage, to our great joy, felicity and endle&s;s Comfort.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Preparation to the Cro&s;s.</NOTE>And now therefore, dear Si&s;ter <HI>K.</HI> be &s;trong in the Lord our
<PB N="53" REF="45"> God, for doubtle&s;s the time of triall is at hand; a great per&s;ecution, with cruel Murthering of Gods dear Saints, is like to be very &s;hort|ly in this woful wicked Realm of <HI>England.</HI> Therefore dear Si&s;ter, for the love of God prepare you to the Cro&s;s with all diligence, and make your &s;elf ready to dye with Chri&s;t, that you may al&s;o live with him for ever. There is no remedy, if you will be Chri&s;ts di&s;ciple, you mu&s;t needs take up your Cro&s;s and follow him, for the Di&s;ciple mu&s;t not look to be above his Ma&s;ter, nor the Servant to be better intreated then his Lord. If we were of the World (good Si&s;ter) no doubt the world would love us: But fora&s;much as Chri&s;t hath cho&s;en us out of the world, to &s;erve God in Spirit &amp; Verity, let us be well a&s;&s;ured the World will hate us and per&s;ecute us, as it hath done our Lord and Ma&s;ter Chri&s;t. But yet let us be of good chear, for Chri&s;t hath overcome the World. The pain is but &s;hort that we can feel here, but the plea&s;ure is perpetual that we &s;hall feel el&s;e|where.</P>
<P>Let us &s;et before us the Example of Chri&s;t, which abode the Cro&s;s, and de&s;pi&s;ed the &s;hame,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;olation un+der the Cro&s;s.</NOTE> in re&s;pect of the joy that was &s;et before him: even &s;o let us con&s;ider for who&s;e &s;ake we &s;uffer, who&s;e Cau&s;e we defend, and what glorious Reward we &s;hall have at the day of our victory, and then doubtle&s;s the con&s;olation of the&s;e things will make &s;weet all our &s;ufferings, and &s;oon &s;wallow up all the &s;orrows that we are &s;owled in for Gods &s;ake. I could recite divers Texts of the Scriptures to confirm this point: but I need not, for I am well a&s;&s;ured that you do know them mo&s;t perfectly already. The Lord give you &s;trength, and a&s;&s;i&s;t you with his holy Spirit, that you may continually walk in all points according to your godly knowledge: And then &s;hall you do not as the mo&s;t part of your Go&s;pellers do now adayes the more is the pity. There are a great many in <HI>England</HI> that do perfectly know, that the Idolatrous Ma&s;s is abominable, devilli&s;h, and dete&s;table in the &s;ight of God; and yet, alas they be not afraid to pollute and defile their bo|dies, which ought to be the Temples of the holy Gho&s;t, with being pre&s;ent at it, &s;o &s;inning again&s;t God and their own Con|&s;cience.</P>
<P>But dear Si&s;ter <HI>K.</HI> do you fly from it both in body and Soul, as
<PB N="52" REF="46">
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<PB N="53" REF="46">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="54" REF="47"> you would fly from the very Devil him&s;elf; Drink not of the Whore of Babylons Cup by no means, for it will infect the Body, and poi&s;on the Soul. Be not partakers of her &s;ins (&s;aith the An|gel) le&s;t you be partakers of the Plagues that &s;hortly &s;hall be pou|red upon her. O what an array is this? that &s;o many that know Gods Truth, will now turn again and defile them&s;elves in the filthy Puddle of Antichri&s;ts &s;tinking Religion! They go about to &s;ave their lives with their double di&s;&s;imulation; but doubtle&s;s they &s;hall lo&s;e everla&s;ting life by it, if they do not Repent in time, and turn unto the Lord. But dear &s;i&s;ter, my tru&s;t is that you do utterly ab|horre the coming to any &s;uch thing. I hope that you will not by any means turn back into Egypt now, but that you will boldly venture through the Wilderne&s;s of Trouble and Per&s;ecution, that you may come into the Land that floweth with all kinde of Heavenly plea&s;ures and joyful delectations, and po&s;&s;e&s;s the &s;ame for ever.</P>
<P>Let us con&s;ider, how that every one of us doth owe unto God a death by nature, and how &s;oon the Lord will require it of us, we know not. Oh how happy are we then, if God of his goodne&s;s appoint us to pay Natures debt with &s;uffering for his Truth and Go&s;pel &s;ake, and &s;o making us his faithful Witne&s;&s;es with the <HI>Pro|phets, Apo&s;tles, Martyrs</HI> and <HI>Confe&s;&s;ors,</HI> yea with his dearly be|loved Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to whom he doth here begin to fa&s;hion us like in &s;uffering, that we might be like him al&s;o in glory.</P>
<P>Thus, my dearly beloved Si&s;ter, I have been bold to trouble you a little with my rude and &s;imple Letter, being made in ha&s;te as it doth appear. Yet I de&s;ire you to take it in good worth, as a token of my poor zeal unto you, and do accept my good will: And if it plea&s;e God to &s;pare me life and liberty, I tru&s;t hereafter to write unto you more largely. Fare ye well dear Si&s;ter <HI>E. K.</HI> the Lord ble&s;s you and all yours, and pour upon you the heavenly dew of his Grace. The Lord indue you with plentiful knowledge of his Verity, and fill you with his holy and mighty Spirit, that you may continually rejoyce in the Comforts of the &s;ame now and ever. <HI>Amen.</HI> Pray, pray, pray with &s;tedfa&s;t Faith.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your daily Oratour, <HI>John Careles,</HI> Pri&s;oner of the Lord.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="55" REF="47">
<HEAD>A Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> to Mrs. <HI>Agnes Gla&s;cock.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe everla&s;ting peace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the continuall ayd, &s;trength and comforts of his mo&s;t pure, holy and mighty Spirit, be with you my dear and faithfull Si&s;ter <HI>Gla&s;cock,</HI> to the good performance of that good work which God hath &s;o graciou&s;ly begun in you, to his glory, and the commodity of his poor afflicted Church, and to your own eternal comfort in him. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>In our Lord I have mo&s;t humble and hearty commendations unto you, my dear Si&s;ter, and mo&s;t faithful Mother <HI>Gla&s;cock,</HI> with all remem|brance of you in my daily Prayers, giving God mo&s;t hearty land, prai&s;e and thanks for you, and on your behalf, in that he of his great mercy hath hitherto &s;o mightily &s;trengthned you, con&s;tantly to cleave unto your Captain Chri&s;t, notwith&s;tanding the great a&s;&s;aults and manifold tempta|tions that you have had to the contrary. Doubtle&s;s, dear heart, it can|not be expre&s;&s;ed what joy and comfort it is unto my very Soul, to &s;ee how mightily the Lord hath magnified him&s;elf in you, and other his dear elect darlings, whom he will &s;hortly glorifie with him&s;elf, as he hath done other of his &s;weet Saints that are gone before you. Rejoyce therefore and be glad, for verily you have good cau&s;e, if you diligently con&s;ider the great dignity that God hath called you unto even in your old age, to be one of his worthy Witne&s;&s;es unto the World, and I think you &s;hall with me and other your Brethren in Bonds, &s;eal the Lords Verity with the Te&s;timony of your Blood. Surely, &s;weet Si&s;ter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">What an high honour it is to &s;uffer for Chri&s;t.</NOTE> this is the greate&s;t pro|motion that God can bring you or any other unto in this life, and an ho|nour that the highe&s;t Angel in Heaven is not permitted to have.</P>
<P>Therefore happy are you, Oh faithful daughter of <HI>Abraham,</HI> that the Lord will now preferre you before many other, yea or any other of your age, that I do know in <HI>England.</HI> Oh faithful and virtuous Matron, which wilt not be moved from the &s;ure Rock Chri&s;t, upon whom you have &s;o firmly built your hou&s;e, that neither &s;torms nor tempe&s;ts, neither yet Hell gates, or any other temptations, &s;hall ever be able once to prevail again&s;t it. Full well doth it appear by your con&s;tant continuance, that you have played the part of a wi&s;e builder, in counting the Co&s;t afore|hand belonging to the fini&s;hing of your Tower, and I doubt not but
<PB N="56" REF="48"> (through Gods gift) you have &s;ufficient to the performance thereof, that the Hypocrites of their part &s;hall have no ju&s;t cau&s;e to triumph again&s;t you, or to mock you, &s;aying, Lo, this woman began to build, but is not able to make an end. Therefore go on boldly, and fear not; for God is faithfull (as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith) which will not &s;uffer you to be tempted above your &s;trength, but either will he give you grace and &s;trength to &s;tand unto the death, (which is the gate and entrance into life) or el&s;e he will make &s;uch an out-&s;cape for you, as &s;hall be to the &s;etting forth of his glory; the which above all other things, we that are his cho&s;en chil|dren ought for to &s;eek, yea even with the lo&s;s of our own lives, being yet well a&s;&s;ured that the &s;ame &s;hall not be &s;hortned one minute of an hour before the time that God hath appointed.</P>
<P>Ca&s;t therefore (dear Si&s;ter) all your care upon the Lord, which (as S. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith) careth for you. Great is his Providence for you, and mighty is his love and mercy towards you: with his grace he will defend you, and with his holy Spirit he will evermore guide you, wherewith he hath &s;urely &s;ealed you unto the day of Redemption: He hath al&s;o given you the &s;ame in earne&s;t for the recovery of the purcha&s;ed Po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion, which he hath prepared for you before the foundation of the world was laid. Be &s;trong therefore, and take a good heart, as I hear &s;ay you be. God for ever be ble&s;&s;ed for you, which hath graft his love in your good heart, that nothing is able to &s;eparate you from the &s;ame, but will rather chu&s;e to &s;uffer adver&s;ity with the people of God, then to enjoy the plea&s;ures of &s;in for a little &s;ea&s;on. Oh happy woman, that can&s;t finde in thine heart to e&s;teem the rebukes of Chri&s;t to be greater riches then all the trea&s;ures of the world, as good <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did. Doubtle&s;s great is your reward in Heaven, which you &s;hall &s;hortly receive of his free gift, and not of any de&s;erving.</P>
<P>Thus dear Mother <HI>Gla&s;cock,</HI> I have been bold to trouble you with my rude and &s;imple Letters, de&s;iring you to take them in good worth, being done in great ha&s;te, as it doth appear; but yet proceeding from a poor heart, which floweth over in love towards you, as my daily prayers for you can te&s;tifie, which I tru&s;t &s;hall &s;upply that part of my duty to|wards you, that my Pen now wanteth. I thank you, dear heart, for all your loving Tokens, and for the great kindne&s;s you have hitherto &s;hewed unto my poor Brother <HI>Tyms,</HI> and his Wife and Children, with
<PB N="57" REF="48"> all other of Gods people to whom you daily do good: the Lord recom|pence the &s;ame &s;evenfold into your bo&s;ome, as I doubt not but he will, according to his infallible Promi&s;es. I pray you have my hearty com|mendations unto your Husband. I be&s;eech the Lord &s;trengthen him in the Confe&s;&s;ion of his Truth (as my tru&s;t is that he will) that we may all joyfully re&s;t with <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Jacob</HI> in the Kingdome of God; unto the which he bring us, that with his mo&s;t precious blood hath bought us. The Ble&s;&s;ing of God be with you now and ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your daily Orator and unfeigned Lover, <HI>John Careles,</HI> Pri&s;oner of the Lord, <HI>Pray, pray, pray.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>A brief Admonition written by <HI>John Careles</HI> to Mrs. <HI>Agnes Gla&s;cock,</HI> in a Book of hers when &s;he came to the Pri&s;on to vi&s;it him.</HEAD>
<P>THere is nothing that the holy Scripture throughout doth &s;o much commend unto us, as true Faith, and &s;tedfa&s;t tru&s;t in the Pro|mi&s;es of Gods eternal mercies towards us in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. For from the &s;ame, as forth of the chief Fountain and Well-spring of life, do flow all kindes of virtues and godly fruits, specially true love towards God, in the which we ought purely to &s;erve him all the dayes of our life: and al&s;o Chri&s;tian Charity towards our Neighbours, as well to help them at all needs, as al&s;o not to hurt them by any means. Therefore pray ear|ne&s;tly for the increa&s;e of faith, and lively feeling of Gods mercy: for all things are po&s;&s;ible to him that can undoubtedly believe.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The effects of Faith.</NOTE> Faith is that thing which a&s;&s;ureth us of Gods mercy, and whereby we vanqui&s;h all the fiery darts of the Devil: Our victory that overcometh the world: The knife that killeth and mortifieth the fle&s;h: and finally, that which &s;et|teth us at peace with God, and quieteth our Con&s;ciences alwayes before him, and maketh us merry and joyfull under the Cro&s;s, with many moe things then I can now expre&s;s. Pray therefore for faith, in faith. And for the Lords &s;ake, beware of Popery, and Popi&s;h Idolatry, the Idol of the wicked Ma&s;s, and other Idolatrous Service. Make not
<PB N="58" REF="49"> your body, which is a member of Chri&s;t, a member of Antichri&s;t. Re|member that we &s;hall receive of God according to that we do in the body, be it good or evil. Therefore glorifie God in your body, which is dearly bought. Betray not the Truth, le&s;t the Lord deny you. If God be God, follow him. You cannot &s;erve two Ma&s;ters. I write not this as doubt|ing you, but by the way of Admonition. God keep you from all evil.</P>
<LG>
<L>My Si&s;ter dear, God give you grace</L>
<L>With &s;tedfa&s;t Faith in Chri&s;t his Name,</L>
<L>His Gospel &s;till for to embrace,</L>
<L>And live according to the &s;ame.</L>
<L>To dye therefore, think it no &s;hame,</L>
<L>But hope in God with faithfull tru&s;t:</L>
<L>And he will give you prai&s;e with fame,</L>
<L>When you &s;hall ri&s;e out of the du&s;t.</L>
<L>For which mo&s;t &s;weet and joyfull day,</L>
<L>To God with faith your Prayer make;</L>
<L>And think on me I do you pray,</L>
<L>The which did write this for your &s;ake.</L>
<L>And thus to God I you betake,</L>
<L>Who is your Ca&s;tle and &s;trong Rock:</L>
<L>He keep you whether you &s;leep or wake.</L>
<L>Farewell dear Mi&s;tris <HI>A. Gla&s;cock.</HI></L>
</LG>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>An other Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> to Mrs. <HI>A. G.</HI> to comfort her in her repentance, after &s;he had been at Ma&s;s, fruitful for all them to be read, which have fallen, and are to be rai&s;ed up again.</HEAD>
<P>THe peace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the eternal comforts of his &s;weet Spirit be with you, and &s;trengthen and comfort you my dear and fait<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ful Si&s;ter. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Although the perillous dayes be come, whereof Chri&s;t prophe|&s;ied, that if it were po&s;&s;ible the very elect &s;hould be deceived; yet let the true faithful Chri&s;tians rejoyce and be glad, knowing that the
<PB N="59" REF="49"> Lord him&s;elf is their keeper, who will not &s;uffer one hair of their heads to peri&s;h without his almighty good will and plea&s;ure, nei|ther will &s;uffer them to be further tempte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> then he will give them &s;trength to bear: but will in the mid&s;t of their temptations make a way for them to e&s;cape out. So good and gracious a God is he to all his cho&s;en Children. And though &s;ometimes he do let his elect &s;tumble and fall, yet (no doubt) he will rai&s;e them up again to the further increa&s;e of their comfort, and to the &s;etting forth of his glory and prai&s;e. Which thing (my dear and faithful loving Si&s;ter) I tru&s;t &s;hall be well verified on you: for I do hear &s;ay that by the manifold allurements, inticements, procurements, yea and inforcements that you dear heart have had, your foot hath chanced to &s;lip forth of the way, to the great di&s;comfort of your Soul, and the heavine&s;s of your heart. But my good Si&s;ter, be of good chear, for the Lord will not &s;o leave you, but he will rai&s;e you up again, and make you &s;tronger then ever you were; &s;o that your fall &s;hall turn to his glory &amp; your profit. For if you had not by this proved the experience of your own &s;trength, or rather your own weakne&s;s, you would have &s;tood too much in your own Conceit, or perchance have gloried in your &s;elf, and have de&s;pi&s;ed and condemned other weak per&s;ons that have committed the like offence. Therefore now you may &s;ee what the be&s;t of us all can do, if God leave us to our &s;elves. Which thing ought to move you to be diligent to call earne&s;tly upon God for his grace, and the &s;trength of his Holy Spirit (without the which we are not able to &s;tand one hour) and to be mo&s;t thankful for the &s;ame when you have it, and then to be more circum&s;pect in time to come.</P>
<P>Therefore dear Si&s;ter, &s;eeing that you have done otherwi&s;e then the word of God and your own Con&s;cience would allow, yet dear heart, do you not think that God therefore will ca&s;t you clean away; but know, that he hath mercy enough in &s;tore for all them that truly repent and believe in him, although the &s;ins of them were as many in number as the &s;ands in the Sea, and as great as the &s;ins of the whole world. It is a greater &s;in to mi&s;tru&s;t the mercy &amp; promi&s;es of God, then to commit the greate&s;t offence in the World. Therefore, (good Si&s;ter) beware in any wi&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">To tru&s;t to Gods Promi&s;es.</NOTE> that you do not once mi&s;tru&s;t
<PB N="58" REF="50">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="59" REF="50">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="60" REF="51"> the promi&s;es of Gods mercy towards you; but know for a very &s;urety, that all your &s;ins be utterly forgiven you for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, be they never &s;o many, &s;o gri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vous, or &s;o great.</P>
<P>But now (dear heart) take <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eed and beware that you do not cloke that &s;in, and increa&s;e the &s;ame daily, in communicating with the wicked in their Idolatry, and devili&s;h doings at their den of Thieves.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cu&s;tome of &s;in a perilous matter.</NOTE> Do not (I &s;ay) dear Si&s;ter, come at any of their Anti|chri&s;tian &s;ervice, le&s;t by little and little you utterly lo&s;e a good Con|&s;cience, and at length e&s;teem it for none offence; as (alas) a great number doth at this day, to the great peril of their Souls. The Lord be merciful unto them, and give them grace to repent in time, and turn to the Lord, and then they &s;hall be &s;ure to finde mercy at the Lords hand, as doubtle&s;s you have done, prai&s;ed be his Name therefore.</P>
<P>Ah my dear Si&s;ter, you may now &s;ee the words of Chri&s;t verified up|on your &s;elf, that a mans greate&s;t foes &s;hall be they of his own hou&s;|hold:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>A. G.</HI> enti&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d by her hu&s;band to go to the Ma&s;s.</NOTE> for your Husband hath gotten you to do that, which all the tyrants in the World could never have made you to do. Doubt|le&s;s he may be &s;orry for it: God give him grace to repent, or el&s;e, without doubt, it will be laid to his charge one day, when he would not by his will hear it for all the goods of the World. Well, I think my Brother <HI>Tyms</HI> will write him a letter &s;hortly that &s;hall touch his Con&s;cience, if he have any Con&s;cience at all.</P>
<P>But now again to you dear Si&s;ter. The thing that is done cannot be undone, and you are not the fir&s;t that have offended, neither are you &s;o good and &s;o holy, as hath at a time &s;lipt forth of the way. Therefore I would not have you to be &s;o much di&s;comforted as I hear &s;ay you be,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The rai&s;ing up of a troubled Con&s;cience after his fall.</NOTE> as though God were not as able to forgive you your offence as he was to forgive his dear Saints that offended him in times pa&s;t; or as though God were not as merciful now as ever he was: whereas in very deed, there is with the Lord as the Prophet &s;aith) mercy and plentiful redemption; and his mercy farre &s;ur|mounteth all his works;<NOTE PLACE="marg">God turneth all things to the be&s;t to them that be hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> and he never faileth any that put their whole tru&s;t and confidence in him, how great an offender, or how wicked a tre&s;pa&s;&s;er &s;oever he be. No, he maketh their falls and back&s;lidings many times to turn to their profit and commodity, and
<PB N="61" REF="51"> to the &s;etting forth of his glory: as doubtle&s;s dear Si&s;ter, yours &s;hall do, if you put your whole Faith, hope, and tru&s;t onely in his infinite and eternal &s;weet mercies.</P>
<P>Oh what a &s;ubtile, crafty, lying Serpent is that Satan our old Enemy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satan when he cannot bring a man to his &s;er|v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">o, he pre&s;&s;eth him w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">th di|&s;tru&s;t of Gods mercy.</NOTE> that when he &s;eeth that he cannot make us to continue in our wickedne&s;s to do him &s;ervice, would then bring us into a doubt|ing and mi&s;tru&s;ting of the mercy of God, which is the greate&s;t offence that can be; yea, infidelity is the root and original of all other &s;ins. Therefore (my &s;weet Si&s;ter) give no place to that cruel adver&s;ary of mankinde, who hath been a lyer and a mutherer from the beginning, but &s;tedfa&s;tly believe the Lord, who hath &s;ent you word by me his mo&s;t unworthy Servant, that all your &s;ins be pardoned, forgiven, and clean relea&s;ed for Je&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake our onely Lord and Saviour. To whom with the Father, and the holy Gho&s;t, be all honour, glory, prai&s;e, thanks, power, rule, and dominion for ever and for ever. <HI>Amen.</HI> Farewel my dear Si&s;ter, and be of good chear. Believe in the Lord and you &s;hall live for ever. The Lord increa&s;e your Faith. <HI>Amen, Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your poor Brother and daily faithful Orator, <HI>John Careles,</HI> Pri&s;oner of the Lord. Pray for me.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>Another Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> to <HI>A. B.</HI> a faithfull Mini&s;ter of the Lord, containing certain fruitfull Precepts of Matrimony.</HEAD>
<P>I Be&s;eech the &s;ame everla&s;ting Lord (my dear and faithful Brother) that ble&s;&s;ed young <HI>Tobias</HI> with his Wife <HI>Sarah,</HI> and brought them together in due time with reverence and fear, pre&s;erve and ble&s;s you both, and your &s;eed after you, that they may increa&s;e the number of the faithful by thou&s;ands and thou&s;ands. And as the Lord of his great mercy and fatherly Providence hath been alwayes careful for you, and now hath for your comfort accompli&s;hed his good work in coupling you with a faithful Mate: &s;o &s;ee that you
<PB N="62" REF="52"> be thankful for his Providence towards you, that it may every way in you be an increa&s;e of love and godline&s;s, yea of Chri&s;tian joy and gladne&s;s in the&s;e &s;orrowful dayes: but yet &s;o, that you mourn with the true mourners of Sion, and be &s;orry (yet in mea&s;ure) for the hurt of the &s;ame. Pray al&s;o in faith for her pro|&s;perity, that the Lord may build up the walls of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> a|gain.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 146.</NOTE>Oh that the Lord would turn Sions. Captivity as the river, into the South; then &s;hould our hearts be made glad, and our mouthes filled with laughter. Then would the Heathen Hypocrites &s;ay, The Lord hath done much for them. Oh, the Lord hath done great things for us already, whereof let us heartily rejoyce, and prai&s;e his Name therefore. For though we now &s;ow with tears, yet &s;hall we be &s;ure to reap with gladne&s;s: and as we now go forth weeping, bearing forth good &s;eed, &s;o &s;hall we come again with joy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The death of the Martyrs is the life of the Go&s;|pel.</NOTE> and bring our &s;heaves full of Corn. Yea, the death of the Martyrs (which is mo&s;t precious in his &s;ight) &s;hall be the life of the Go&s;pel, &s;pight of the Papi&s;ts hearts.</P>
<P>Pray for me (dear heart) that I may be counted worthy to &s;owe &s;ome &s;eed among&s;t the &s;weet Saints of the Lord, that I may reap the &s;ame again without cea&s;ing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;owing time is Chri&s;ts Church.</NOTE> at the Harve&s;t. It is now &s;owing time of the year, men &s;ay in the Country, and I think I &s;hall make an end of &s;owing before all March be pa&s;t: for I hear &s;ay that I &s;hall prove how my Plough will enter into the &s;tony ground of the hard hearted Papi&s;ts, within the&s;e four dayes. I hope to hold fa&s;t, and not to look back, neither for fear nor flattery, until I have made an end of &s;owing, and then will I &s;et me down and re&s;t me, and ask them all no leave, and look for the lively fruit and increa&s;e thereof with joy and gladne&s;s.</P>
<P>My dear Brother, the time approacheth near (I prai&s;e God there|fore) that I mu&s;t put off this &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ful tabernacle and go home to my heavenly Father, where divers of my dear Brethren are already, looking and wi&s;hing for me. I be&s;eech you therefore that you will help me forward with your faithful Prayers, as I know you doe, for I do feel the comfort and commodity thereof.</P>
<PB N="63" REF="52">
<P>That you have ob&s;erved my &s;imple Coun&s;ell, I am right glad,<NOTE PLACE="marg">This coun&s;el was that he &s;hould marry, notwith|&s;tanding certain lets, whereby Satan &s;ought to hinder his Mar|riage.</NOTE> and I tru&s;t in the Lord God, you &s;hall finde comfort in the &s;ame. And that you may &s;o doe indeed, I have been &s;o bold to write the&s;e few words unto you, becau&s;e I &s;hall &s;ee you no more in this corruptible life: therefore mark them well. Fir&s;t and above all things you mu&s;t be very circum&s;pect to keep the band of love, and beware that there never &s;pring up the root of bitterne&s;s between you. If at any time there happen to ri&s;e any cau&s;e of unkindne&s;s between you (as it is unpo&s;&s;ible alwayes to be free from it) &s;ee that you weed up the &s;ame with all lenity, gentlene&s;s and patience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The root of bit|terne&s;s to be weeded out with the Spade of Patience.</NOTE> and never &s;uffer your &s;elf, nor your wife to &s;leep in di&s;plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>If you have cau&s;e to &s;peak &s;harply, and &s;ometimes to reprove,<NOTE PLACE="marg">How and when the husband ought to re|prove.</NOTE> beware that you do not the &s;ame in the pre&s;ence of other: but keep your words until a convenient time (which is the point of a wi&s;e man, &s;aith <HI>Solomon</HI>) and then utter them in the &s;pirit of meekne&s;s, and the groaning &s;pirit of perfect love: which you mu&s;t al&s;o let &s;ometimes to cover faults, and wink at them if they be not intolle|rable. What&s;oever lo&s;s and mi&s;chance &s;hall happen unto you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Faults &s;omtime mu&s;t be covered with love.</NOTE> take it patiently, and bear it merrily: and though the &s;ame &s;hould come partly through your wifes negligence, yet let it rather be a loving warning to take heed in time to come, then a cau&s;e of &s;orrow for that which is pa&s;t and cannot be holpen. I know by mine own experience that we are in this life &s;ubj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct to many inconveniences, and that of nature we are prone to di&s;plea&s;ure,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Not to take un|kindne&s;s for e|very trifle.</NOTE> and ready to think unkindene&s;s for every little trifle, and &s;pecially with our be&s;t friends, yea &s;oone&s;t with our loving wives, which be mo&s;t lothe&s;t to di&s;|plea&s;e us.</P>
<P>But let us beware of this cankered corruption, and con&s;ider that wrought mo&s;t of all, in love to bear with them, according to Chri&s;ts example towards his Congregation, for whom he gave him&s;elf to clean&s;e it, &amp;c. I had thought to have treated this matter at large, but even now I am interrupted and otherwi&s;e letted. I doubt not but you know your duty therein a great deal better then I can declare it unto you; and as you know it, &s;o will do it: but I love to be bold with you. I intend al&s;o to write to your wife very &s;hortly, and &s;o take my la&s;t farewel of you forever in this World
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<PB N="64" REF="54"> And thus in great ha&s;te I am now con&s;trained to make an end. The ble&s;&s;ing of God be alwayes with you.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your own forever, <HI>John Careles. Pray, pray, pray with Faith.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>Another Letter of <HI>John Careles</HI> to <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> Wife of the &s;aid <HI>A. B.</HI> containing likewi&s;e certain godly Precepts of Matrimony pertaining to her duty.</HEAD>
<P>THe everla&s;ting peace of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the continual ayd, &s;trength and comfort of his mo&s;t holy and mighty Spi|rit, with increa&s;e of knowledge, faith, and perfect feeling of Gods eternal mercy, be with you my dear and faithful loving Si&s;ter, <HI>E. B.</HI> and with your godly loving husband, and my dear and faithful Brother, to the full performance of that good which he hath &s;o graciou&s;ly begun in you, that in all things you may be mad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> rich and ble&s;&s;ed in him, and your &s;eed after you, now and ever <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>As I have been long de&s;irous to write unto you (my dear heart i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Lord) not onely being thereto bound of duty, but al&s;o ofte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> provoked of him, to whom I owe my &s;elf, and all that I am able to do (I mean, even that ble&s;&s;ed of the Lords own mouth, whom God hath joyned with you in that holy and Chri&s;tian &s;tate of Ma|trimony) even &s;o at the la&s;t I have obtained time and occa&s;ion, in &s;ome part to perform that which I have long purpo&s;ed. And for|a&s;much as the Lord of his great mercy and fatherly Care and Pro|vidence over you his dear childe, hath now graciou&s;ly accompli&s;h|ed that good work among many other, which I (as a friend of the Bridegroom) have full heartily wi&s;hed, and often prayed for: I think it good, yea and my bounden duty, to treat of &s;uch things as may be profitable to pre&s;erve mutual love and faithful amity be|tween you;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Satan an enemy to all godly af|fairs.</NOTE> which I know Satan will chiefly labour to dimini&s;h, if he cannot altogether de&s;troy the &s;ame, le&s;t by many joyful occa|&s;ions you &s;hould be provoked continually to prai&s;e God for his
<PB N="65" REF="54"> good g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ft, which that enemy hath by all means &s;ought to hinder from you.</P>
<P>As for all other things, I know you are &s;ufficiently in&s;tructed, and al&s;o have a mo&s;t godly learned Companion, who is well able further to teach you, if need do require. But in this thing I know my Experience is more then his. Therefore, my good Si&s;ter, fir&s;t and before all things, &s;ee that you do diligently con&s;ider, that as every good and perfect gift pertaining to Soul and Body, is given from above, and cometh from the Father of Light: Even &s;o to whom&s;oever the Lord dealeth any of his benefits, of them he doth chiefly require alwayes a thankful heart for the &s;ame; for el&s;e he will either take away his good gifts again, or turn the &s;ame to their great di&s;commodity, and in the end to the increa&s;e of their con|demnation: So dete&s;table in his &s;ight is the Sin of Ingratitude.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;in of in|gratitude.</NOTE> But to &s;uch as be thankful for his benefits, he doth not onely to the old, ever adde new, but al&s;o maketh the commodity of his for|mer gifts ever more and more to increa&s;e, untill by them they are fully per&s;waded, and throughly certified of his everla&s;ting love in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, which is eternal life it &s;elf: &s;o much doth he of his great mercy delight in a thankful heart.</P>
<P>Therefore I do yet once again earne&s;tly require you, that above all things you be thankful to God for his benefits;<NOTE PLACE="marg">God loveth a thankful hoart.</NOTE> not onely for your Election, Creation, Redemption, and Pre&s;ervation, but al&s;o for his other temporal gifts wherewith he hath endued you: among&s;t the which, the chief and mo&s;t excellent is (as te&s;tifieth the holy Gho&s;t) your good, godly, and faithful loving Husband. For (as the Wi&s;e|man &s;aith) Goods and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions may come to a man by the death of his friends, but a good Wife is the gift of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A good wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">|t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e gift of Go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> which the Lord will give for a good portion to &s;uch as fear him.</P>
<P>And the like is of a good Husband, as the Lord hath now given you, prai&s;ed be his Name therefore. He hath not given you an ignorant, froward, churli&s;h, brawling, wa&s;tful, rioting, drunken Husband, wherewith he hath plagued many other (as he might al&s;o have done you) but he hath given you a mo&s;t godly, lea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ned, gentle, loving, quiet, patient, thrifty, diligent, and &s;ober Husband, by whom he will nouri&s;h, cheri&s;h, keep and defend you, in&s;truct and teach
<PB N="64" REF="55">
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<PB N="66" REF="56"> you, yea care and provide for you and your Children (the which he will al&s;o by him give you) &s;uch things as be nece&s;&s;ary for you. He hath not dealt &s;o with every body; and yet he hath done this and much more for you my dear Si&s;ter, and will thereto increa&s;e joy and love between you:<NOTE PLACE="marg">God delighteth in the agreement between Man &amp; Wife.</NOTE> for as he delighteth in the love &amp; godly agree|ment of man &amp; wife together, &s;o is it he only that maketh them and all the whole hou&s;hold to be of one mind. Unto the which his gra|cious work he requireth your diligence, and will u&s;e you as his in|&s;trument and mean, the more effectuou&s;ly to accompl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h the &s;ame. And therefore I now require you to ob&s;erve this my &s;imple coun&s;el, the which I have here written as a te&s;timonial of my good will towards you, becau&s;e I think in this life I &s;hall never more &s;ee you.</P>
<P>Now, as I have &s;hewed you how you &s;hould be thankful unto God for his good gifts: &s;o I exhort you, and (as much as in me lieth) charge you to be evermore thankful unto your dear loving husband who hath given him&s;elf unto you; which is a more pre|cious jewel in the Church of God, then perchance you are yet aware of.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The duty of Wives toward their Husbands.</NOTE> Think your &s;elf unworthy to be matched with &s;uch an In&s;trument of God; and al&s;o reverence evermore the gifts of God in him, and &s;eek with true obedience and love to &s;erve him&punc; in recompence of his true and painful heart towards you. Be loth in any wi&s;e to offend him; yea, rather be careful and diligent to plea&s;e him, that his Soul may ble&s;s you. If at any time you &s;hall chance to anger him, or to do or &s;peak any thing that &s;hall grieve him, &s;ee that you never re&s;t until you have pacified him, and made him merry again.</P>
<P>If at any time he &s;hall chance to blame you without a cau&s;e, or for that you cannnot do therewith (which thing happeneth &s;ome|times of the be&s;t men living) &s;ee that you bear it patiently, and give him no uncomely or unkinde word for it; but ever more look upon him with a loving and chearful countenance, and rather take the fault upon you, then &s;eem to be di&s;plea&s;ed.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">A chearful coun|tenance.</NOTE>Be alwayes merry and chearful in his company, but not with too much lightne&s;s. Beware in any wi&s;e of &s;welling, powting, or lowring, for that is a token of a cruel and unloving heart; except
<PB N="67" REF="56"> it be in re&s;pect of &s;in, or in the time of &s;ickne&s;s.</P>
<P>Be not &s;orrowful for any adver&s;ity that God &s;endeth: but be|ware that nothing be &s;pilt or go to wa&s;te through your negligence. In any wi&s;e &s;ee rhat you be quick and cleanly about his meat and drink, and prepare him the &s;ame according to his diet in due &s;ea&s;on.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Temperance in apparrel.</NOTE> Go cleanly and well favouredly in your Apparel, but beware of of Pride in any wi&s;e.</P>
<P>Finally, in word and deed &s;hew your &s;elf wi&s;e, humble, merry, and loving towards him, and al&s;o towards &s;uch as he doth love, and then &s;hall you lead a ble&s;&s;ed life. I could &s;peak of many other things, the which I have learned and proved true by experience: but I know that you will do in all things much better then I can teach you, becau&s;e you have that anointing that teacheth you all things; who hath al&s;o given you an heart to obey and &s;erve him. Yet I tru&s;t you will not be offended for this which I have written, but ra|ther accept my good will towards you, whom I love in the Lord, as well as I do my daughter <HI>Judith.</HI></P>
<P>Thus as mine own Soul, I commend you both to God, de&s;iring him to ble&s;s you with all manner of Spiritual ble&s;&s;ings in heavenly things, and al&s;o with the dew of Heaven, and fatne&s;s of the Earth, that in all things you may be made rich in Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord and onely Saviour. The Lord increa&s;e and ble&s;s the fruit of your bodyes, that your Children may &s;tand round about your Table, thick, fre&s;h, and lu&s;ty, like the Olive branches. God give you both a long life, that you may &s;ee and ble&s;s your Childrens Children, unto the third and fourth Generation, and teach them the true fear and love of God, and that Faith for the which they &s;hall be accepted in his &s;ight.</P>
<P>God let you &s;ee the pro&s;perity of Sion; for who&s;e lying in the du&s;t let your hearts mourn. The Lord make perfect your love together in him, and alwayes increa&s;e the &s;ame,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note, that both the&s;e departed in quiet peace, the one 1565. the other 1568.</NOTE> and bring you both in peace to your graves, at a good age. And now I bid you both mo&s;t heartily farewel: and I think I &s;hall now take my leave of you for ever in this life. I be&s;eech you both to aid me with your continual Prayers (as I will not forget you in mine) that I may have a joyful victory through Je&s;us Chri&s;t: To who&s;e mo&s;t merci|full
<PB N="68" REF="57"> defence, I do mo&s;t heartily for ever commend you to be kept unblameable untill his coming. The which I be&s;eech him to ha&s;ten for his Mercies &s;ake.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your own unfeignedly, <HI>John Careles,</HI> Pri&s;oner of the Lord.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER><HI>Here endeth the Letters of</HI> John Careles.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>A Letter of Mr. <HI>John Bradfords,</HI> which he wrote to a faithfull Woman in her heavine&s;s and trouble: mo&s;t comfortable for all tho&s;e to reade that are afflicted and broken|hearted for their &s;ins.</HEAD>
<P>GOd our good Father for his mercies &s;ake in Chri&s;t, with his E|ternal Con&s;olation &s;o comfort you, as I de&s;ire to be comforted of him in my mo&s;t need: yea, he will comfort you, my dear Si&s;ter; onely ca&s;t your care upon him, and he never can nor will for&s;ake you For his calling and gifts be &s;uch, that he can never repent him of them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.</NOTE> Whom he loveth, he loveth to the end: none of his cho|&s;en can peri&s;h. Of which number I know you are, my dearly be|loved Si&s;ter: God increa&s;e the faith thereof daily more and more in you: he give unto you to hang wholly on him and on his Pro|vidence and Protection.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods Providence and Protection.</NOTE> For who &s;o dwelleth under that Secret thing, and help of the Lord, he &s;hall be cock-&s;ure for evermore. He that dwelleth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 31.90.</NOTE> I &s;ay: for if we be flitters, and not dwellers, as was <HI>Lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> a flitter from <HI>Segor,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE> where God promi&s;ed him protection, if he had dwelled there &s;till; we &s;hall remove to our lo&s;s, as he did into the Mountains.</P>
<P>Dwell therefore, that is, tru&s;t, and that finally unto the end, in the Lord my dear Si&s;ter) and you &s;hall be as Mount Sion. As Moun|tains compa&s;s <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> &s;o doth the Lord all his people. How then can he forget you, which are as the apple of his eye, for his dear Sons &s;ake. Ah dear heart, that I were now but one half hour with you, to be a <HI>Simon</HI> to help to carry your Cro&s;s with you. God
<PB N="69" REF="57"> &s;end you &s;ome good <HI>Simon</HI> to be with you, and help you.</P>
<P>You complain in your Letters of the blindne&s;s of your minde; and the troubles you feel. My dearly beloved, God make you thankful for that which he hath given unto you: he open your eyes to &s;ee what and how great benefits you have received, that you may be le&s;s covetous, or rather impatient, for &s;o (I fear me) it &s;hould be called, and more thankful. Have not you received at his hands, &s;ight to &s;ee your blindene&s;s, and thereto a de&s;irous and &s;eeking heart to &s;ee where he lyeth in the mid-day, as his dear Spou&s;e &s;peaketh of her &s;elf in the Canticles? Oh <HI>Joyce,</HI> my good <HI>Joyce,</HI> what a gift is this? Many have &s;ome &s;ight, but none this &s;obbing and &s;ighing, none this &s;eeking which you have I know, but &s;uch as he hath mar|ried unto him in his mercies. You are nor content to ki&s;s his feet with the <HI>Magdalen,</HI> but you would be k<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ed even with the ki&s;&s;es of his mouth, <HI>Can<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> 1. You would &s;ee his face, with <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> for|getting how he biddeth us &s;eek his face, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 27. yea, and that for ever, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 10<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. which &s;ignifieth no &s;uch &s;i ht as you de&s;ire, to be in this pre&s;ent life, which would &s;ee God now face to face,<NOTE PLACE="marg">God cannot be &s;e n, but cover|ed under &s;ome|thing. How faith &s;eeth God, where fle&s;h &s;eeth Hell.</NOTE> whereas he cannot be &s;een but covered under &s;omething: yea &s;ome|time in that which is (as you would &s;ay) clean contrary to God; as to &s;ee his Mercy in his Anger. In bringing us to Hell, Faith &s;eeth him bring us to Heaven; in darkne&s;s, it beholdeth brightne&s;s; in hiding his face from us, it beholdeth his merry countenance. How did Job &s;ee God, but as you would &s;ay under Satans cloke? for who ca&s;t the fire from Heaven upon his goods? who overthrew his hou&s;e, and &s;tirred up men to take away his Cattel, but Satan? And yet Job pierced through all the&s;e, and &s;aw Gods work, &s;aying, <HI>The Lord hath give, he Lord hath taken away, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In reading of the P&s;alms, how often do you &s;ee that <HI>David</HI> in the &s;hadow of death, &s;aw Gods &s;weet love? And &s;o (my dearly beloved) I &s;ee that you in your darkne&s;s and dimne&s;s, by Faith to &s;ee clarity and brightne&s;s: by Faith (I &s;ay) becau&s;e Faith is of things ab&s;ent, of things hoped for, of things which I appeal to your Con&s;cience, whether you de&s;ire not. And can you de&s;ire any thing which you know not? And is there of heavenly things any other true knowledge then by Faith?</P>
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<P>Therefore, my dear heart, be thankful, for (before God I write it) you have great cau&s;e. Ah my <HI>Joyce,</HI> how happy is the &s;tate wherein you are?<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;tate of Gods Children de&s;cribed.</NOTE> Verily you are even in the ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate of Gods Children: for they mourn, and do not you &s;o? and that not for worldly weal, but for &s;piritual riches, Faith, Hope, Charity, &amp;c. Do you not hunger and thir&s;t for righteou&s;ne&s;s? And I pray you, &s;aith not Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.</NOTE> who cannot lye, that happy are &s;uch? How &s;hould God wipe away the tears from your eyes in Heaven, if now on earth you &s;hed no tears? How could Heaven be a place of re&s;t, if on Earth you did finde it? How could you de&s;ire to be at home, if in your journey you found no grief? How could you &s;o often call upon God, and talk with him, as I know you do, if your enemy &s;hould &s;leep all day long? How &s;hould you el&s;where be made like unto Chri&s;t, I mean in joy, if in &s;orrow you &s;obbed not with him? If you will have joy and felicity, you mu&s;t fir&s;t needs feel &s;or|row and mi&s;ery.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The way to hea|ven is to go through hell.</NOTE> If you will go to Heaven, you mu&s;t &s;ayle by Hell. If you will embrace Chri&s;t in his robes, you mu&s;t not think &s;corn of him in his rags. If you will &s;it at Chri&s;ts Table in his Kingdome, you mu&s;t fir&s;t abide with him in his Temptations. If you will drink of his cup of glory, for&s;ake not his cup of Ignominy.</P>
<P>Can the head Corner-&s;tone be rejected, and the other more ba&s;e &s;tone in Gods building be in this World &s;et by? you are one of his lively &s;tones: be content therefore to be hewn and &s;nagged at, that you might be made the more meet to be joyned to your fel|lows which &s;uffer with you Satans &s;natches, the Worlds wounds, contempt of Con&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Frets of the fle&s;h</NOTE> and frets of the fle&s;h, where-through they are enforced to cry: Oh wretches that we are, who &s;hall de|liver us?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.</NOTE> You are of Gods Corn, fear not therefore the Flayle, the Fan, Mil&s;tone, nor Oven. You are one of Chri&s;ts Lambs, look therefore to be fleeced, hayled at, and even &s;lain.</P>
<P>If you were a Market &s;heep, you &s;hould go in more fat and gra&s;&s;y Pa&s;ture.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods &s;heep mu&s;t feed on the bare Common, where the devils ctatel are &s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">d.</NOTE> If you were for the Fair, you &s;hould be &s;talfed, and want no weal: but becau&s;e you are for Gods own occupying, therefore you mu&s;t pa&s;ture on the bare Common, abiding the &s;torms and tempe&s;ts that will fall. Happy, and twice happy are you (my dear Si&s;ter) that God now haileth you whither you would not,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 21.</NOTE>
<PB N="71" REF="58"> that you might come whither you would. Suffer a little, and be &s;till. Let Satan rage again&s;t you, let the World cry out, let your Con&s;cience accu&s;e you, let the Law load you and pre&s;s you down; yet &s;hall they not prevail for Chri&s;t is <HI>Emanuel,</HI> that is, <HI>God with us. I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> God be with us, who can be again&s;t us?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.</NOTE> The Lord is with you; your Father cannot forget you; your Spou&s;e loveth you. If the waves and &s;urges ari&s;e, cry with <HI>Peter, Lord I peri&s;h,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 8.</NOTE> and he will put out his hand and help you. Ca&s;t out your Anchor of Hope, and it will not cea&s;e for all the &s;tormy &s;urges, till it take hold on the Rock of Gods Truth and Mercy.</P>
<P>Think not that he which hath given you &s;o many things corpo|rally, as inductions of &s;piritual and heavenly Mercies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Philip. 1. De&s;ire of &s;piri|tual comfort, though it be lacking, is a great gift of God</NOTE> and that without your de&s;erts or de&s;ire, can deny you any &s;piritual com|fort de&s;iring it. For if he give to de&s;ire, he will give you to have and enjoy the thing de&s;ired. To de&s;ire to have, and the going a|bout to ask, ought to certifie your Con&s;cience, that they be his earne&s;t of the thing which you asking he will give you, yea before you ask, and while&s;t you are about to ask he will grant the &s;ame (as <HI>E&s;ay</HI> &s;aith) to his glory, and your eternal con&s;olation. He that &s;pared not his own Son for you, will not nor cannot think any thing too good for you, my heartily beloved.</P>
<P>If he had not cho&s;en you, (as mo&s;t certainly he hath) he would not have &s;o called you: he would never have ju&s;tified you:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.</NOTE> he would never have &s;o glorified you with his gracious gifts, which I know, prai&s;ed be his Name therefore: he would never have &s;o ex|erci&s;ed your Faith with temptations, as he hath done and doth, if (I &s;ay) he had not cho&s;en you.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exerci&s;e of ten|tations a great token of election</NOTE> I have cho&s;en you (as doubtle&s;s dear heart, he hath done in Chri&s;t, for in you I have &s;een his earne&s;t, and before me, and to me you could not deny it, I know both where and when) if I &s;ay, he hath cho&s;en you, then neither can you, nor ever &s;hall you peri&s;h. For if you fall, he putteth under his hand; you &s;hall not lie &s;till: &s;o careful is Chri&s;t your keeper over you. Never was Mother &s;o mindful over her childe, as he is over you. And hath not he alwayes been &s;o?</P>
<P>Speak woman when did he finally forget you? And will he now, trow you, in your mo&s;t need do otherwi&s;e, you calling upon
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<PB N="72" REF="60"> him, and de&s;iring to plea&s;e him? Ah my <HI>Joyce,</HI> think you God to be mutable?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.</NOTE> Is he a changeling? Doth not he love to the end, them whom he loveth? Are not his gifts and calling &s;uch, that he cannot repent him of them? for el&s;e were he no God. If you &s;hould peri&s;h, then wanted he power: for I am certain his will towards you is not to be doubted of. Hath not the Spirit, which is the Spi|rit of truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Every lying &s;pi|rit not to be hearkned unto Satan &s;eeketh to bring tender con&s;ciences to doubting: but Gods promi&s;e in Chri&s;t &s;tandeth &s;ure for ever.</NOTE> told you &s;o? And will you now hearken, with <HI>Eve,</HI> to the lying &s;pirit, which would have you not to de&s;pair (no, he goeth more craftily to work, howbeit to that end, if you &s;hould give ear unto it, which God forbid) but to doubt and &s;tand in a mammering, and &s;o &s;hould you never truly love God, but &s;erve him of a &s;ervile fear, le&s;t he &s;hould ca&s;t you off for your unworthine&s;s and unthankfulne&s;s; as though your thankfulne&s;s or worthine&s;s were any cau&s;es with God, why he hath cho&s;en you, or will final|ly keep you.</P>
<P>Ah mine own dear heart, Chri&s;t onely, Chri&s;t onely, and his mer|cy and truth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">All our election is in and for Chri&s;t only.</NOTE> In him is the cau&s;e of your election. This Chri&s;t, this Mercy, this Truth of God remaineth for ever, is certain for ever, and &s;o is your Election certain for ever, for ever, for ever; I &s;ay for ever. If an Angel of heaven &s;hould tell you contrary, accur&s;ed be he, accur&s;ed be he. Your thankfulne&s;s and worthine&s;s are fruits and effects of your election, they are no cau&s;es. The&s;e fruits and effects &s;hall be &s;o much more fruitful and effectual, by how much you waver not.</P>
<P>Therefore (my dearly beloved) ari&s;e, and remember from whence you are fallen.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l. 120.</NOTE> You have a Shepherd which neither &s;lumbereth nor &s;leepeth. No man nor devil can pull you out of his hands. Night and day he commandeth his Angels to keep you. Have you forgotten what I read to you out of the P&s;alm, <HI>The Lord is my Shepherd,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.</NOTE> <HI>I can want nothing?</HI> Do you not know that God &s;parred <HI>Noah</HI> in the Ark on the out&s;ide, &s;o that he could not get out? So hath he done to you, my good Si&s;ter, &s;o hath he done to you. Ten thou&s;and &s;hall fall on your right hand,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 90.</NOTE> and twenty thou&s;and on your left hand, yet no evil &s;hall touch you. Say boldly there|fore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 125.</NOTE> <HI>Many a time from my youth up they have fought again&s;t me, but they have not prevailed:</HI> no, nor never &s;hall prevail, for the
<PB N="73" REF="60"> Lord is round about his people. And who are the people of God, but &s;uch as hope in him? Happy are they that hope in the Lord: and you are one of tho&s;e, my dear heart, for I am a&s;&s;ured you have hoped in the Lord: I have your words to &s;hew mo&s;t manife&s;tly, and I know they were written unfeignedly. I need not to &s;ay, that even before God you have &s;imply confe&s;&s;ed to me, and that oftentimes, no le&s;s. And once if you had this hope,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Though feeling fail, yet let hope hold fa&s;t.</NOTE> as you doubt|le&s;s had it, though now you feel it not, yet &s;hall you feel it again: for the anger of the Lord la&s;teth but a moment, but his mercy la&s;t|eth for ever. Tell me, my dear heart, who hath &s;o weakned you? Surely not a per&s;wa&s;ion which came from him that called you. For why &s;hould you waver? Why &s;hould you waver,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The eye of faith mu&s;t look upon nothing el&s;e but onely Chri&s;t crucified.</NOTE> and be &s;o heavy hearted? Whom look you on? On your &s;elf? on your worthine&s;s? on your thankfulne&s;s? on that which God requireth of you, as faith, hope, love, fear, joy, &amp;c. Then can you not but waver in|deed: for what have you as God requireth? Believe you, hope you, love you, &amp;c. as much as you &s;hould do? No, no, nor never can in this life. Ah my dearly beloved, have you &s;o &s;oon forgot|ten that which ever &s;hould be had in memory? namely, that when you would and &s;hould be certain and quiet in Con&s;cience, then &s;hould your Faith bur&s;t throughout all things, not onely that you have in you, or el&s;e are in heaven, earth or hell, untill it come to Chri&s;t crucified, and the eternal &s;weet mercies and goodne&s;s of God in Chri&s;t? Here, here is the re&s;ting place, here is your Spou&s;es bed: creep into it, and in your arms of Faith embrace him: bewail your weakne&s;s, your unworthine&s;s, your diffidence, &amp;c. and you &s;hall &s;ee he will turn to you. What &s;aid I, You &s;hall &s;ee? Nay, I &s;hould have &s;aid, You &s;hall feel he will turn to you. You know that <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> when he went into the Mount to talk with God, he entred into a dark Cloud; and <HI>Elias</HI> had his face covered when God pa&s;&s;ed by. Both the&s;e dear friends of God, heard God, but they &s;aw him not: but you would be preferred before them. See now, my dear heart, how covetous you are. Ah be thankful, be thankful. But God be prai&s;ed that your covetou&s;ne&s;s is <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> covetou&s;ne&s;s. Well, with him you &s;hall be &s;atisfied. But when? For&s;ooth when he &s;hall appear. Here is not the time of &s;eeing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.</NOTE>
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<PB N="74" REF="63"> but as it were in a gla&s;s. <HI>I&s;aac</HI> was deceived, becau&s;e he was not content with hearing onely.</P>
<P>Therefore to make an end of the&s;e many words, wherewith I fear me I do but trouble you from better exerci&s;es: ina&s;much as you are indeed the childe of God, elect in Chri&s;t before the be|ginning of all times: ina&s;much as you are given to the cu&s;tody of Chri&s;t, as one of Gods mo&s;t precious jewels: ina&s;much as Chri&s;t is faithful, and hitherto hath all power, &s;o that you &s;hall never peri&s;h no, one hair of your head &s;hall not be lo&s;t. I be&s;eech you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Learn here to put away doubt|ing, all tender hearts that &s;eek after Chri&s;t.</NOTE> I pray you, I de&s;ire you I crave at you<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> hands with all my very heart, I ask of you with hand, pen, tongue, and minde, in Chri&s;t, through Chri&s;t, for Chri&s;t, for his Name, Blood, Mercies, Power, and Truths &s;ake (my mo&s;t entirely beloved Si&s;ter) that you admit no doubting of Gods finall Mercies towards you, how&s;oever you feel your &s;elf: but complain to God, and crave of him as of your tender and dear Father, all things; and in that time which &s;hall be mo&s;t opportune, you &s;hall finde and feel far above that your heart, or the heart of any creature can conceive, to your eternal joy. <HI>Amen, Amen, Amen.</HI></P>
<P>The good Spirit of God alwayes keep us as his dear children: he comfort you, as I de&s;ire to be comforted (my dearly beloved) for evermore. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE><HI>This</HI> 8. <HI>of</HI> Augu&s;t,</DATE></DATELINE> <SIGNED><HI>by him that in the Lord de&s;ireth to you as well and as much felicity, as to his own heart.</HI> John Bradford.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<HEAD>A worthy An&s;wer of a con&s;tant Martyr called <HI>Guy de Brez,</HI> Anno Dom. <HI>1566.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>G&V;y de BreZ,</HI> a mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, being committed Pri|&s;oner into the Ca&s;tle of Tournay, was vi&s;ited by many Ladies and Gentlewomen, only out of a de&s;ire to &s;ee him, in regard he was a man &s;o highly e&s;teemed. Some at the fir&s;t view &s;coffed; others railed on him; but others were moved to take pitty and compa&s;&s;ion on him. Among&s;t the re&s;t, the Counte&s;s of Ren, ac|companied with certain Gentlewomen, coming into the Pri&s;on, and at her fir&s;t entrance beholding the Iron chain to which was fa&s;tned; Mr. <HI>Guy,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I wonder how you can either eat, drink, or &s;leep in quiet, for wer I in your ca&s;e, the very terrour thereof would goe nigh to kill me?</P>
<P>O <HI>Madam,</HI> &s;aid he, the good cau&s;e for which I &s;uffer, and that inward peace of Con&s;cience with which God hath endued mee, makes me eat and drink with greater contentment then my enemies can which &s;eek my life: yea &s;o far off is it that my bonds or chain do any way terrifie me, or break off my &s;leep, that on the contrary I glory and take delight therein, e&s;teeming them at a higher rate then chains and rings of Gold, or any other Jewels of price what&s;oever; for they yield me much more profit. Yea when I hear the ratling of my chains, me thinks I hear as it were &s;ome &s;weet in&s;trument of mu&s;ick &s;ounding in mine ears: not that &s;uch an effect comes meerly from my chains, but in regard I am bound therewith for maintaining the truth of the Go&s;pel.</P>
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<HEAD>The &s;ame Martyr in a letter to his wife, acquaints her with Gods graci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">us dealing with him in all his a&s;&s;aults.</HEAD>
<P>SPeaking of his apprehen&s;ion, he &s;hews how carnal rea&s;on be|gan to play its part again&s;t the Providence of God; for &s;aith he, the&s;e thoughts came thronging into my head; what meant we to go &s;o many in company together as we did? had it not been for
<PB N="76" REF="64"> &s;uch and &s;uch we had never been di&s;covered or taken. Under &s;uch like cogitations I lay for a while, &s;aith he, even in a manner over|whelmed, till by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Gods holy Spirit my minde was rai&s;ed up to meditate on Gods Providence. After which my heart began to feel wonderful re&s;t and contentment; &s;aying thus in my &s;elf, O my God, the day and hour of my birth was before ordained by thee, &amp; ever &s;ince thou ha&s;t pre&s;erved and kept me in great perils and dangers, and hitherto delivered me out of them all. And if now the hour be come wherein I mu&s;t pa&s;s out of this life into thy king|dome, thy holy will be done; I cannot e&s;cape out of t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y hands; yea, though I could, yet Lord thou knowe&s;t I would not, &s;eeing all my felicity depends upon conforming my Will unto thine.</P>
<P>From the&s;e con&s;iderations I received no &s;mall con&s;olation, and therefore, dear wife, rejoyce with mee, I pray you, and ble&s;s our good God for the&s;e his mercies towards me; for he do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h nothing but that which is equal and right. You have been privy to, and acquainted with all the travels, cro&s;&s;es and per&s;ecutions which have befallen me, yea, and have your &s;elf been partaker with me therein, when you accompanied me in my voyages during the time of my exile: and now after all the&s;e you &s;ee, my welbeloved in the Lord, how he holdeth forth to mee his hand of Providence, to drive me home to him&s;elf into his ble&s;&s;ed Kingdome. I now lead you the way, and when his will is you &s;hall follow me thither. Our &s;eparation &s;hall not be for ever: it will not be long ere we be gathered under one head Je&s;us Chri&s;t. This World is not the place of our re&s;t: no, Heaven is our home, this is but the place of our bani&s;hment. Let us therefore a&s;pire after our true Country, namely Heaven, and long to be received into the man&s;ions of our heavenly Father, where we &s;hall &s;ee our Head and Brother, our Husband and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, with the noble triumphant a&s;&s;emblies of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apo&s;tles, and &s;o many millions of Martyrs, to whom I hope &s;hortly to be gathered, having fini&s;hed the cour&s;e of that ad|mini&s;tration which I have received of the Lord Je&s;us. Wherefore dear wife, be you comforted in the meditation of the&s;e things. Take into con&s;ideration the honour the Lord doth you, in giving you a Husband who is not only called to be a Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;ts
<PB N="77" REF="64"> Go&s;pel, but al&s;o &s;o highly advanced of God, as to be ac|counted worthy to partake of the Crown of Martyrdome. It is an honour which the Angels in Heaven are not capable of.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Angels not ca|pable of M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r|tyrdome.</NOTE> I now rejoyce in my &s;ufferings, my heart leapeth within me; in my Afflictions I finde nothing wanting unto mee; I am filled with the abundant riches of my God; yea &s;o farre am I comforted therewith, that I have &s;ufficient &s;tore not only for my &s;elf, but to impart thereof al&s;o to as many as I have opportunity to &s;peak unto: which bounty and favour I be&s;eech my eternal Lord God to con|tinue unto me his poor Pri&s;oner: yea,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gods goodne&s;s to his afflicted children is oft above and be|yond their ex|pectation.</NOTE> I am per&s;waded that he will perform it unto the end; For by good expeience I feel, that be never for&s;akes them that tru&s;t in him. I could never have imagin|ed that God would have been &s;o gracious as he hath been to me his poor creature.</P>
<P>I now ta&s;te of the fidelity and bounty of Chri&s;t my Saviour: I am here taught to practi&s;e what I have preached unto others. Yea, let me not be a&s;hamed to confe&s;s, that when I heretofore preached I &s;pake but as a Parrat, in regard of that which I have now better lear|ned by proof and experience.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pri&s;ons prove Gods School|hou&s;es to the faithful.</NOTE> I have profited more in the Schoolhou&s;e of this pri&s;on, then ever I did in all my life before: for I have the Holy Gho&s;t, who is my con&s;tant in&s;tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cter and Schoolma&s;ter, teaching me how to handle my weapons in this fight of afflictions. Satan on the other &s;ide, who is the &s;worn enemy of all Gods Elect, compa&s;&s;eth me about on every &s;ide as a roaring Lyon thinking to devour me. But he who hath &s;aid, Fear not,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 16.33.</NOTE> I have overcome the World, puts as it were new courage into me; and then I &s;ee the Lord brui&s;ing Satan under my feet;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 16.20.</NOTE> feeling the power of God perfected in my weakne&s;s:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12.9.</NOTE> and that the Lord cau&s;eth me one while to feel my infirmity and weakne&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is profitable for the godly &s;o c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">es to feel their infir|mities.</NOTE> that &s;o I may take knowledge how I am but a poor earthen ve&s;&s;el (even weakne&s;s it &s;elf,) to hum|ble me, that God may have all the glory; and then by and by he fortifies and comforts me, (I may truly &s;ay) incredibly above all I could ask or think.</P>
<P>For I would not change my condition with theirs who per&s;e|cute me. I take my re&s;t, eat and drink with more hearts ca&s;e then they. I am indeed lodged in the &s;tronge&s;t and vile&s;t Pri&s;on they
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<PB N="78" REF="66"> have, dark and ob&s;cure, which for the darkne&s;s thereof is called <HI>Bruna<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Brunain</HI> a Pri|&s;on of the <HI>Va|lencians.</HI></NOTE> where I have no ayre to breathe at, but a little &s;tinking hole, where they lay all their rubbi&s;h and where the drunkards commonly vent their Urine. I am laden with Irons both on my hands and feet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">By rea&s;on wher|of he complains he wrote with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uch difficulty, and therefore could not write as otherwi&s;e he would have done</NOTE> which are a continual torment unto me; the irons eating through the fle&s;h, even to the bare bones. The Provo&s;t-Mar&s;hal comes to view my Fetters twice or thrice <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> day, fearing le&s;t I &s;hould make an e&s;cape: for preventing where|of, he hath placed three Guards of Fourty men before the Pri&s;on door, &amp;c.</P>
<P>And thus having given to his Wife his Advice, how to behave her &s;elf during her Widowhood, and how to train up her Chil|dren, with his loving Salutations remembred to her &s;elf, and other his &s;pecial Friends, he clo&s;eth up his Letter.</P>
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