MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.great mercy, that amongs so many thousands, it pleaseth his mercy to choose me to be one in whom he wyll suffer. For although it be most true, that Iuste patior. i. I iustly suffer (for I haue ben a great hypocrite & a greuous synner, the Lord pardon me, yea he hath done it, he hath done it in deede) yet, hic autem quid mali fecit? i. VVhat euyll hath he done? CHRIST, whō þ^e Prelates persecute, his veritye which they hate in mee, hath done no euill, nor deserueth death. MarginaliaThis is a singular mercy of God, to haue death which is a due punishement for sinne, turned into a demōstration and testification of the Lords truth.Therefore ought I most hartely to reioyce of this dignation and tender kindnes of the Lorde towardes mee, which vseth the remedy for my synne as a testimoniall of his testament, to his glory, to my euerlasting comfort, to the edifying of his church, & to the ouerthrowing of Antichrist and his kingdome. O what am I Lord, that thou shouldest thus magnify me so vile a man and miser, as alwayes I haue bene? Is this thy wont to send for such a wretch and an hypocrice as I haue bene, in a fiery charyot, as thou diddest for Helias?Marginalia4. Regum. 2. Oh deare fathers, be thankfull for me, and pray for me, that I still may be foūd worthy in whom the Lord would sanctify his holy name. And for your part, make you ready, for we are but your gentlemen hushers. Nuptiæ agni paratæ sunt, venite ad nuptias. i. The mariage of the Lambe is prepared: come vnto the mariage. I now go to leaue my flesh there, where I receiued it.MarginaliaHe meaneth that he should be conueyed by the Queenes Garde into Lankeshire to be burnt, as the aduersaries had once determined: like as Ignatius was by a company of souldiers conueied to Rome, and cast to the Leopardes. MarginaliaEccle. Hist. Libr. 3. Cap. 34. I shal be conueyed thether, as Ignatius was to Rome, Leopardis: by whose euill I hope to be made better. God graunt, if it be his wyll that I aske, it may make them better by me, Amen.

For my farewell therefore, I write & send this vnto you, trusting shortly to see you where we shall neuer be seperated. In the meane season I will not cease, as I haue done, to commend you to our father of heauen. And that you would so do by me, I most hartely pray euery one of you. You know now I haue most neede. But fidelis Deus, qui nunquam sinet nos tentari supra id quòd possumus. i. Faithfull is God, which will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength. He neuer did it hetherto, nor now, I am assured, he will neuer do, Amen. A dextris est mihi, non mouebor. Propter hoc lætabitur cor meum, quia non derelinquet animam meam in inferno, nec dabit me sanctum suum per gratiam in Christo, videre corruptionem. E carcere raptim, expectans omni momento carnificē. i. MarginaliaPsal. 16.He is on my right hand, therefore I shall not fall. Wherefore my hart shall reioyce, for he shall not leaue my soule in hell, neyther shal suffer me his holy one by his grace in Christ, to see corruptiō. Out of prison in hast, looking euery moment for the Tormētour. The. 8. of February. Anno. 1555.

Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Bradford to the Lord Rußell, now Earle of Bedford.THe euerlastyng & most gracious God and father of our Sauiour IESV CHRIST, blesse your good Lordshyp with all maner of heauenly blessynges in the same CHRIST our onely comfort and hope, Amen.

Praised be god our father which hath vouched you worthy, as of fayth in his CHRIST, so of his Crosse for þ^e same. Magnified be his holy name, who as he hath deliuered you frō one crosse, so he hath made you willyng (I trust) and ready to beare an other when he shall see his time to lay it vpō you: for these are þ^e most singular giftes of God geuen as to fewe, so to none els but to those fewe which are most deare in his sight. MarginaliaThe excellēcie of fayth, and what it worketh.Faith is reckened & worthely, among the greatest giftes of God, yea it is the greatest it selfe that we enioy, for by it, As we be iustified and made Gods children, so are we temples and possessours of the holy spirite, yea of Christ also. Eph. 4. And of the father him selfe. Iohn. 14. By faith we driue the deuill away. 1. Pet. 5. We ouercome the world. 1. Iohn. And are already Citizens of heauen and fellowes with Gods deare Saintes. But who is able to recken the riches that this faith bringeth with her vnto the soule she sitteth vppon? No man nor Angell. And therfore (as I sayd) of all Gods giftes, she may be set in the top and haue the vpmost seate. The which thing if men considered (MarginaliaFayth commeth by hearing the word: and not by hearing Masse.in that she commeth alonely from Gods owne mercy seate, by the hearyng, not of Masse or Mattyns, Diriges or such draffe, but of the word of God in such a toung as we cā & do vnderstād) as they would be diligēt & take great hede for doing or seing any thyng which might cast her down (for then they fall also) so woulde they with no lesse care read and heare Gods holy word, ioyning therto most earnest and often prayer, aswell for the more and better vnderstandyng, as for the louyng, liuing, and confessing

of the same, mauger the head of the deuill, the world, our flesh, reason, goodes, possessions, carnall frendes, wife, children, and very life here, if they should pull vs backe to harken to their voyce and coūsell, for more quiet, sure, and longer vse of them.

Now, notwithstādyng this excellency of faith, in that we read the ApostleMarginaliaPhil. 1. to match therewith, yea (as it were) to preferre sufferyng persecution for Christes sake, I trowe no man will bee so fonde as to thinke otherwise, but that I & all Gods children haue cause to glorifie and prayse God, which hath vouched you worthy so great a blessyng. MarginaliaThe efficacy of the crosse, and what it worketh in Gods children.For though the reasō or wisedome of the world thinke of the Crosse accordyng to their reach & atcording to their present sense, and therfore flyeth from it as from a most great ignominie and shame: yet Gods scholers haue learned otherwise to thinke of the Crosse, that it is the frame house in the which God frameth his children like to his sonne CHRIST: the fornace that fineth Gods gold: the high way to heauen: the Sute and Liuerey that Gods seruauntes are serued withall: the earnest and beginning of all consolation and glory. For they (I meane Gods scholers, as your lordship is, I trust) do enter into Gods Sanctuary, lest their feete slip.MarginaliaPsal. 72. They looke not as beastes do, on thinges present onely, but on things to come, and so haue they as present to faith, the iudgement & glorious cōming of CHRIST, like as the wicked haue now their worldly wealth wherin they wallow and will wallow till they tumble headlong into hell,MarginaliaThe end of prosperity. where are tormētes too terrible, and endles. Now they folow the Feende as the Beare doth the traine of hony & the Sow the swillynges, till they be brought into the slaughter house, and then they know that their prosperitie hath brought them to perdition. Then cry they woe, woe. MarginaliaSap. 5.We vvent the vvronge vvay: vve counted those men (I meane such as you be that suffer for Gods sake losse of goodes, frendes and life, whom they shall see endued with rich robes of righteousnes, crownes of most pure precious gold, and palmes of conquest in the goodly glorious palace of the Lambe, where is eternall ioy, felicitie. &c.) We counted (will they then say) these men but fooles and madde mē, we tooke their conditions to be but curiositie. &c. But then will it be to late, thē þ^e time will be turned, laughyng shall be turned into weeping, and weeping into reioycing. Read Sapien. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Therfore (as before I haue sayd) great cause haue I to thanke God which hath vouched you worthy of this most bountifull blessing: much more then you haue cause (my good Lord) so to be, I meane thankefull. For looke vpon your vocation I pray you, and tell me MarginaliaFew noble men called to Christes kingdome.how many noble men, Earles sonnes, Lordes, Knightes and men of estimatiō hath God in this Realme of England dealt thus withal? I dare say you thinke not that you haue deserued this. Onely Gods mercy in hys CHRIST hath wrought this on you, as he did in Ieremyes time on Abimelech, in Achabs tyme on Abdias, in CHRISTES tyme on Ioseph of Arimathia, in the Apostles time on Sergius Paulus, and the Queene of Candaces Chamberlaine. Onely now be thankfull and continue, continue, continue (my good Lord) continue to cōfesse CHRIST. Be not ashamed of hym before men, for then will not he be ashamed of you. Now will he try you: sticke fast vnto him and he will sticke fast by you: hee will be with you in trouble & deliuer you. But then must you cry vnto him, for so it precedeth: MarginaliaPsal 91.He cryed vnto me and I heard hym: I was with him in trouble. &c.

MarginaliaGodly remembrances.Remember Lothes wife which loked backe. Remēber Fraunces Spira. Remember that none is crowned but hee that striueth lawfully. Remember that all you haue, is at Christes commaundement. Remember he lost more for you then you cā lose for him. Remember you lose not that which is loste for his sake, for you shall finde much more here and elswhere. Remember you shall dye, and when, where, and how, you can not tell. Remember the death of sinners is most terrible. Remember the death of Gods Saintes is precious in his sight. Remember the multitude goeth the wideway which windeth to woe. Remember that the straite gate which leadeth to glory hath but few trauellers. Remēber, Christ biddeth you striue to enter in therat. Remember, he that trusteth in the Lord shal receaue strength to stand agaynst all the assaultes of his enemies. Be certaine all the heares of your head are numbred. Be certaine your good father hath pointed boundes ouer the which the deuill dare not looke. Commit your selfe to him: he is, hath bene, and will be your keper. Cast your care on him & he will care for you. Let CHRIST be your scope & marke to pricke at: