Marginalia1555. Iuly.tencie, carnalitie, hipocrisy, idolatry, couetousnes, swearing glottony, dronkennes, whoredome. &c. (Wherwith alas, alas our countrey floweth): if (I say) you wyll not turne and leaue of, seing me now burned amongest you, to assure you on al sydes how God seeketh you, and is sory to doe you hurt, to plage you, to destroy you, to take vengeaunce vpon you, MarginaliaDestruction threatned to thē that repent not.oh your bloud will be vpon your own heades: you haue bene warned, and warned againe by me in preaching, by me in burning.

As I sayd therefore, I say agayne, my deare hartes and dearlynges in the Lord, turne you, turne you, repent you, repent you, MarginaliaPreceptes of life.ceasse from doyng euill, study to do well, away with idolatry, fly the Romish God and seruice, leaue of from swearyng, cut of carnalitie, abandon auarice, driue away dronkennes, flie from fornication and flattery, murther and malice, destroy deceitfulnes, and cast away all the workes of darkenes. Put on pitie and godlynes, serue God after hys worde and not after custome, vse your tounges to glorify God by prayer, thankesgeuyng and confession of his truth &c. be spirituall, and by the spirite mortifie carnall affections, be sober, holy, true, louyng, gentle, mercifull, and then shall the Lordes wrath ceasse, not for this our doynges sake, but for his mercies sake. Go to therfore (good coūtreymen) MarginaliaGood coūsell giuen.take this coūsell of þ^e Lord, by me now sent vnto you, as the Lordes counsell & not as mine, that in the day of Iudgement I may reioyce with you and for you: the which thing I hartly desire, and not to be a witnes agaynst you. My bloud will cry for vengeaunce, as agaynst the Papistes Gods enemies (whō I besech God if it be his wil, hartely to forgiue, yea euē them which put me to death and are the causers therof, for they know not what they do) MarginaliaBradfords bloud will cry agaynst the refusers of his counsell.so will my bloud crie for vengeaunce agaynst you (my dearely beloued in the Lord) if ye repent not, amend not, and turne vnto the Lord.

Turne vnto the Lord yet once more, I hartely besech thee thou Māchester, thou Ashton vnderline, thou Boltō, Bury, Wigine, Lierpole, Mottrine, Stepport, Winsley, Eccles, Prestwich, Middleton, Radcliefe, and thou Citie of Westchester, where I haue truly taught & preached the word of God. Turne, I say vnto you all, and to all the inhabitors thereaboutes, vnto the Lord our God and he will turne vnto you, he will say vnto his Angell: It is inough, put vp thy sword. The which thyng that he will do, I hūbly besech his goodnes for the precious bloudes sake of his deare sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christ. Ah good brethrē take in good part these my last wordes vnto euery one of you. Pardon me myne offēses and negligences in behauiour amongest you. The Lord of mercy pardon vs all our offenses, for our Sauiour Iesus Christes sake, Amen. Out of prison ready to come to you, the. 11. of February. an. 1555.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Maister Bradford to the town of Walden.TO the faythfull and such as professe the true doctrine of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, dwelling at Walden and thereaboutes, Iohn Bradford a most vnworthy seruaunt of the Lord, now in bandes and condemned for the same true doctrine, wisheth grace, mercy, and peace, with the encrease of all godlynes in knowledge and liuing, from God the father of all comfort, through the desertes of our alone and full redeemer Iesus Christ, by the myghty working of the most holy spirite, the comforter for euer, Amen.

When I remember how that by the prouydence and grace of God, I haue ben a mā by whom it hath pleased him through my ministery to cal you to repentance and amendment of lyfe, something effectually, as it semed, and to sowe amongst you his true doctrine and religion, lest that by my affliction and stormes now arisen to trye the faythfull, and to conforme them like to the image of the sonne of God, into whose company we are called, you might be faynt harted: I could not but out of prison secretely (for my kepers may not know that I haue pen and inke) write vnto you a signification of the desire I haue, that you should not only be more confirmed in the doctrine I haue taught amongst you, MarginaliaMaister Bradford answereth with his bloud for his doctrine.which I take one my death, as I shall aunswere at the day of dome, I am perswaded to bee Gods assured, infallible, and playne truth: but also should after your vocation auow the same by confession, profession, and liuing. I haue not taught you (my dearely beloued in the Lord) fables, tales, or vntruth, but I haue taught you the verity, as now by my bloud gladly (praysed be God therefore) I do seale

the same.

In dede to confesse the truth vnto you, and to all the church of Christ, I do not thinke of my selfe but that I haue most iustly deserued, not onely this kynde, but also all kyndes of death and that eternally, for MarginaliaM. Bradford accuseth agayne his owne life.myne hypocrisy, vayne glory, vncleannes, selfe loue, couetousnes, idlenes, vnthankfulnes, and carnall professing of Gods holy gospel, lyuing therin not so purely, louingly, and paynfully as I should haue done. The Lord of mercy for the bloud sake of Christ pardon me, as I hope, yea I certainly beleue he hath done for his holy names sake thorow Christ. But my dearely beloued, you and all the whole worlde may see, and easily perceiue, that the prelates persecute in me an other thing then myne iniquities, MarginaliaChrist him selfe persecuted in hys Martyrs.euen Christ him selfe, Christes verity and truth, because I can not, dare not, nor will not confesse Transubstantiation, and howe that wicked men, yea myse and dogges eating the sacrament, which they terme of the aultar, thereby ouerthrowing Christes holy supper vtterly, doe eate Christes naturall and reall body borne of the virgine Mary.

To beleue, and confesse as Gods word teacheth, the primatiue Church beleued, and all the Catholike and good holy Fathers taught fiue. C. yeares at the least after Christ, that in the supper of the Lord (which the Masse ouerthroweth, as it doth Christes Priesthode, sacrifice, death and passion, the ministery of his word, true fayth, repentance, and all godlynes) whole Christ God & man is present by grace to the fayth of the receyuers, but not of the standers by, and lokers on, as bread and wyne is to their senses, will not serue: and therefore I am condemned, and shall be burned out of hand as an hereticke. Wherfore I hartely thanke my Lord God that will and doth vouch me worthy to be an instrument in whom hee him selfe doth suffer. For you see my affliction and death is not simply because I haue deserued no lesse but much more at his hands and iustice: but rather MarginaliaM. Bradford persecuted for confessing the truth.because I confesse his verity and truth, and am not affraid through his gift that to do, that you also might be confirmed in his truth. Therefore my dearely beloued, I hartely do pray you and so many as vnfaynedly loue me in God, to geue with me and for me most harty thankes to our heauenly father through our swete Sauior Iesus Christ, for this his exceeding great mercy towardes me and you also, that your fayth wauer not from the doctrine I haue taught, and ye haue receyued. For what can you desire more to assure your consciences of the verity taught by your preachers, then their owne lyues?

Goe to therefore my deare hartes in the Lord, wauer not in Christes religion truely taught you, and set forth in king Edwardes daies. MarginaliaGods truth can neuer be kept vnder by the aduersaries.Neuer shall the enemies be able to burne it, to prison it, and kepe it in bondes. Vs they may prison, they may bynde & burne, as they do and will do so long as shall please the Lord: but our cause, religion, and doctrine which we cōfesse, they shall neuer be able to vanquish and put away. Theyr idolatry and popish religion shall neuer be built in the conscience of men that loue Gods truth. As for those that loue not Gods truth, that haue no pleasure to walke in the wayes of the Lord, in those I say the deuill shall preuayle: for God will geue them strong illusion to beleue lyes. Therefore deare brethren and sisters in the Lord, I humbly besech you, and pray you in the bowels and bloud of our Lorde & Sauiour Iesus Christ, nowe goyng to the death for the testimonie of Iesus, as oftentimes I haue done before this present out of your pulpit, that you would MarginaliaHe exhorteth them to loue Gods truth and to liue thereafter.liue the Lords truth: loue (I say) to liue it and frame your liues therafter. Alas, you know the cause of all these plages fallen vpon vs, and of the successe which Gods aduersaries haue dayly, is for our not liuing Gods word.

You know how that wee were but Gospellers in lippes, and not in lyfe. MarginaliaGods Gospell abused.We were carnall, concupiscencious, idle, vnthankfull, vncleane, couetous, arrogant, dissemblers, crafty, subtill, malicious, false, backbyters. &c. and euen glutted with Gods worde, yea MarginaliaGods Gospell lothed.we lothed it, as did the Israelites the Manna in the wildernes: and therefore as to them the Lordes wrath waxed hote, so doth it vnto vs. So that there is no remedy, but that (for it is better late to turne then neuer to turne) we confesse our faultes, euen from the bottome of our hartes, and with harty repentaunce (which God woorke in vs all for his mercies sake) we runne vnto the Lord our God, which is exorable,