MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.hypocrital, vainglorious. &c. Al which my euils the Lord of mercy pardō me for his Christes sake, as I hope and certainely beleue he hath done for his great mercy in Christ our redemer.

But when I consider the cause of my condemnation, I cannot but lament that I do no more reioyce then I do. For it is Gods veritie and truth: so that the condemnation is not a cōdemnation of Bradford simply: MarginaliaThe Papistes condemne not Bradford but Christ.but rather a condemnation of Christ and his truth. Bradford is nothing els but an instrument in whom Christ and his doctrine is cōdemned. And therfore my dearely beloued, reioyce, reioyce and geue thankes with me and for me, that euer God did vouchsafe so great a benefite to our countrey, as to choose the most vnworthy (I meane my selfe) to be one in whom it would please him to suffer any kinde of affliction: much more this violent kynde of death, which I perceiue is prepared for me with you for his sake. All glory and prayse be geuen vnto God our father for his great excedyng mercy towardes me, through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

But perchaunce you will say vnto me: what is the cause for the which you are cōdemned? we heare say that ye deny all presence of Christ in his holy Supper, and so make it a bare signe and commō bread, and nothing els. My dearely beloued, what is sayd of me and wil be, I cā not tell. It is told me that M. Pendleton is gone downe to preach with you, MarginaliaD. Pendleton recāted first in K. Edwardes time, and now agayne in Q. Maryes time.not as he once recanted (for you all know how he hath preached cōtrary to that he was wōt to preach afore I came amongest you) but to recant that which hee hath recanted. How he will speake of me, and report before I come, when I am come, and when I am burned I much passe not, for he that is so vncertaine, and will speake so often agaynst him selfe, I cā not thinke he will speake well of me, except it make for hys purpose and profit: but of this inough.

MarginaliaThe causes why M. Bradford was condemned.In deede the chief thing which I am condemned for as an hereticke, is because I deny in þ^e Sacrament of the altar (which is not Christes supper but a plaine peruertyng of it, beyng vsed as the Papistes now vse it) to be a reall, naturall, and corporall presence of Christes body & bloud vnder the formes & accidences of bread and wine, that is, because I deny transubstantiation, MarginaliaTransubstantiation the deuills darling, and daughter of Antichrist.which is the dearling of the deuill, and daughter and heire to Antichristes Religion, whereby the Masse is mainteined, Christes Supper peruerted, his sacrifice & crosse imperfited, his Priesthode destroyed, the ministery takē away, repentaunce repelled, and all true godlines abandoned. In the Supper of our Lord or Sacrament of Christes body & bloud I cōfesse & beleue that there is a true & very presence of whole Christ God & man to þ^e faith of the receiuer (but not of the stāder by and looker on) as there is a very true presence of bread and wine to the senses of him that is partaker therof. This faith, this doctrine, which consenteth with the word of God, & with the true testimony of Christes Church (which the Popish church doth persecute) will I not forsake, and therfore am I cōdemned as an hereticke, & shalbe burned. But my dearely beloued, this truth (which I haue taught & you haue receiued, I beleued and do beleue and therein geue my life) I hope in God, shall neuer bee burned, bound, nor ouercome: but shall triumph, haue victory, and be at libertie, mauger the head of all Gods aduersaries. For there is no counsell agaynst the Lord, nor no deuise of man can be able to defeate the veritie in any other, then such as be children of vnbelief, which haue no loue to the truth & therefore are geuen vp to beleue lyes. Frō which plage þ^e Lord of mercies deliuer you & all the realme, my deare hartes in þ^e Lord, I hūbly besech his mercy, Amen.

And to the end you might be deliuered frō this plage (right deare to me in the Lorde) MarginaliaM. Bradfords farwell to the countrey of Lankeshire.I shall for my farewell with you for euer in this present life, hartely desyre you all in the bowels and bloud of our most mercifull Sauiour Iesus Christ, to attend vnto these thinges which I now shall shortly write vnto you out of the holy scriptures of the Lord.

You know an heauy plage (or rather plages) of God is fallen vpon vs MarginaliaGods manifold plagues vpon England in Queene Maries dayes.in taking away our good king, Gods true religion, Gods true Prophets and Ministers. &c. And setting ouer vs such as seke not þ^e Lord after knowledge: whose endeuours God prospereth wonderfullye, to the triall of many, that his people may both better know them selues, and be knowen. MarginaliaThe cause of Gods plagues is our iniquities, and not knowing the time of Gods visitation.Now the cause hereof is our iniquities and greuous synnes. We dyd not know the time of our visitation: we were vnthankfull vnto God: we contemned the Gospell, and carnally abused it to serue our hipocrisy, our vainglory, our vici-

ousnes, auarice, idlenes, securitie. &c. Long did the Lord linger and tary to haue shewed mercy vpon vs, but we were euer the longer the worse. Therefore moste iustly hath God delt with vs, and dealeth with vs: yea yet we may see, that his iustice is tempered with much mercy, whereto let vs attribute that we are not vtterly consumed. For if the Lord should deale with vs after our desertes, alas, how could we abide it? In his anger therfore seing he doth remember his mercy vndeserued (yea vndesired on our behalfe) let vs take occasion the more speedely to go out to meete him, not with force of armes (for we are not so able to withstand him, much lesse to preuaile against him) but to besech him to be merciful vnto vs, & according to his wonted mercy to deale with vs.

MarginaliaRising with Dauid.Let vs arise with Dauid and say: Ne intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo. &c. i. Enter not into iudgement O Lord wyth thy seruant, for in thy sight no flesh lyuing shall be iustified. MarginaliaSuing with the Centuriō.Let vs send Embassadors with the Centurion, and say: Lord we are not worthy to come our selues vnto thee: speake the word and we shall haue peace. MarginaliaRepenting with the Publican.Let vs penitently with the Publicane looke down on the earth, knocke our hard harts to burst them, & cry out: Oh God be mercyfull vnto vs wretched sinners. MarginaliaReturning with the lost Sonne.Let vs with the lost Sonne returne and say: O Father, we haue sinned against heauen and earth, and before thee: we are vnworthy to be called thy children. Let vs I say, do on this sort, that is, hartely repent vs of our former euill life, and vnthankfull gospelling past, cōuert and turne to God with our whole hartes, hoping in hys great mercye through Christ, and hartely calling vpon his holy name, and thē vndoubtedly we shall finde and feele otherwise then yet we feele, both inwardly and outwardly. Inwardly we shall feele peace of cōscience betwene God and vs, which peace passeth all vnderstanding, and outwardly we shall feele much mitigation of these miseries, if not an vtter taking of them away.

Therefore my dearely beloued in the Lorde, I your poorest brother now departing to the Lord, MarginaliaBradfords vltimum vale.for my Vale in æternum for this present life, pray you, besech you, and euen from the very bottom of my hart, for al the mercies of God in Christ shewed vnto you, most earnestly beg & craue of you out of prison (as often out of your Pulpits I haue done) that you will repent you, leaue your wicked and euill life, be sory for your offences, and turne to the Lord, whose armes are wide open to receiue and embrace you, whose stretched out hand to strike to death, stayeth that he might shew mercy vpon you. For hee is the Lord of mercy and God of all comfort, he wil not the death of a sinner, but rather that ye should returne, conuert and amend. He hath no pleasure in the destruction of men: his long suffering draweth to repentance before MarginaliaThe day of Gods wrath at hand.the time of vengeaunce and the day of wrath which is at hand doth come.

Now is the axe layd to the roote of the tree, vtterly to destroy the impenitent. Now is the fire gone out before the face of the Lorde, and who is able to quench it? Oh therefore repent you, repent you. It is inough to haue liued as we haue done. It is inough to haue played the MarginaliaWanton Gospellers: Proud Protestantes: False christians.wanton Gospellers, the proud Protestants, hipocritical and false Christians, as alas, we haue done. Nowe the Lord speaketh to vs in mercy and grace: oh turne before he speake in wrath. Yet is there mercy with the Lorde, and plenteous redemption: yet he hath not forgotten to shew mercy to them that cal vpon him. Oh then call vpō him, while hee may be found. For he is rich in mercy & plentiful to all them that call vpon him. So that he that calleth on the name of the Lorde shall be saued. If your sinnes be as red as scarlet, the Lord sayth, he wyll make them as white as snow. He hath sworne, and neuer wil repent him thereof, that he will neuer remember our iniquities, but as he is good, faithfull and true, so will he bee our God, and we shall be his people: his law will he write in our hartes and engraffe in our mindes, and neuer wyll hee haue in mynde our vnrighteousnes,

Therfore my deare harts in þ^e Lord, turne you, turne you to þ^e Lord your Father, to the Lord your Sauiour, to the Lord your Comforter. Oh why do you stop your eares and harden your hartes to day, when you heare his voyce by me your poorest brother? Oh forget not how that the Lord hath shewed him self true, and me his true Preacher by bringing to passe these plages, MarginaliaBradford prophesied of these plagues before.which at my mouth you oft heard before they came to passe, specially when I entreated of Noes floud, and when I preached of the. xxiij. chapter of S. Mathewes Gospell on S. Steuens day the laste tyme that I was wyth you. And now by me the Lord sendeth you word (deare countrey men) that if you will go on forwardes in your impeni-