MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.all mens eyes are set vpon them, to marke how they do. They thinke others hearing of such mē going to Masse, doe see or enquire of their behauiour there. Oh if there were in those men that are so present at the Masse, eyther loue to God or to their brethren, then would they for the one or both, openly take Gods part, and admonish the people of their idolatry. MarginaliaMath. 10. 3. Reg. 8. Apoca. 3.They feare man more then him which hath power to cast both soule and body into hell fier: they hault on both knees: they serue two Maisters. God haue mercy vpon such, and open their eies with his eye salue that they may see, that they which take not part with God, are against God, and that they which gather not with CHRIST, do scatter abroad. Oh þ^t they would read, what S. Iohn saith will be done to the fearefull.MarginaliaApoca. 21. Apoca. 3.The counsell geuen to the Church of Laodicea is good counsell for such.

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But to returne to you agayne (dearely beloued) Marginalia2. Tim. 1. Roma. 1.be not ye ashamed of Gods Gospell. It is the power of God to saluation, to al those that do beleue it. Be therfore partakers of the afflictions, as God shall make you hable, knowyng for certaine, that Marginalia1. Cor. 10. Phil. 1.he will neuer tempt you farther then he will make you able to beare: and thinke it no small grace of God to suffer persecution for Gods truth, for the spirite of God resteth vpon you, and Marginalia1. Peter. 3. Math. 5.ye are happy, as one day ye shall see. Read. 2. Thess. 1. and Hebr. 12. As the fire hurteth not gold but maketh it fyner, so shall ye be more pure by sufferyng with Christ. 1. Pet. 1. MarginaliaPersecution compared to the flayle which hurteth not but clenseth the wheate.

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The flaile and wynde hurteth not the wheat but clenseth it from the chaffe. And ye dearely beloued) are Gods wheate: feare not therfore the flaile, feare not the fanning wynde, feare not the milstone, feare not the ouen, for all these make you more meete for the Lordes owne tooth. Sope, though it be blacke, soileth not the cloth, but rather at the lēgth maketh it more cleane: so doth the blacke crosse helpe vs to more whitenes, if God strike with his battledore. MarginaliaRom. 8.Because ye are Gods shepe, prepare your selues to the slaughter, alwayes knowyng that in the sight of the Lord our death shalbe precious. The soules vnder the aultar looke for vs to fil vp their number: happy are we if God haue so appointed vs. How soeuer it be (dearely beloued) Marginalia1. Peter. 5. Math. 10.cast your selues wholy vpon the Lord, with whom all the heares of your heades are numbred, so that not one of them shall perish. Will we nyll we, we must drinke Gods cuppe if he haue appointed it for vs. Drinke it willingly then, and at the first when it is full, lest peraduenture if we linger, we shal drinke at þ^e length of the dregges with the wicked,MarginaliaPsal. 75. 1. Peter. 4. if at the begynnyng we drinke not with his children: for with them his iudgement begynneth, and when he hath wrought his will on mount Syon, then will he visite the nations roūd about.

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Marginalia1. Pet. 5. Rom. 8.Submit your selues therfore vnder the mighty hand of the Lord. No man shal touch you without his knowledge. When they touch you therfore, know it is to your weale. God thereby will worke to make you like vnto CHRIST here, that ye may be also like vnto him elswhere. Acknowledge your vnthankfulnes and sinne, and blesse God that Marginalia1. Cor. 11.correcteth you in the world, because ye shal not be damned with the world. Otherwise might he correct vs, thē in making vs to suffer for righteousnes sake: but this he doth because we are not of þ^e world. Call vpō his name through CHRIST for his helpe, as he cōmaundeth vs. MarginaliaPsal. 50. MarginaliaPsal. 92.Beleue that he is merciful to you, heareth you, & helpeth you: I am with hym in trouble, and will deliuer hym, sayth he. Know that God hath appointed boundes ouer the which the deuill, and all the world shall not passe. If all thinges seeme to be against you, yet say with Iob: If he kill me I will hope in hym. Read the 91. Psalme, and pray for me your poore brother and felow sufferer for Gods Gospels sake: his name therfore be praysed, and of his mercy he make me and you worthy to suffer with good conscience for his names sake. MarginaliaHappy is that death which seing once it must nedes be payd, is bestowed vpon the lord.Die once we must, and when we know not: happy are they whom God geueth to pay natures debt: I meane to dye for his sake.

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Here is not our home, therfore let vs accordingly consider thinges, alwayes hauyng before our eyes the heauenly Ierusalem, Heb. 12. Apo. 21. 22. the way thether to be by persecutions: the deare frēdes of God, how they haue gone it after the example of our Sauiour Iesus Christ: whose footesteps let vs folow euen to the very Gallowes, if God so will, not doubting but that as he within three dayes rose againe immortall: euen so we shall do in our tyme: that is, when the trumpe shall blow, & the aūgell shall shoote, and the sonne of mā shall appeare in the cloudes with innumerable Saintes and Aungels in maiesty and great glory: then shall the dead arise, and we

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shall be caught vp into the cloudes to mete the Lord, and so be alwayes with hym. Comfort your selues with these wordes and pray for me for Gods sake. E carcere. 19. Nouemb. 1553.

Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Maister Bradford to Sir Iames Hales knight.THe God of mercy and father of all comfort, plentifully poure out vpon you and in you his mercy, and with hys consolations comfort and strengthen you to the end, for his and our CHRISTES sake, Amen.

Although, right worshipfull Syr, many causes might moue me to be contēt with crying for you to your God and my God, that he would geue you grace to perseuer well, as hee hath right notably begun to the great glory of his name, and cōfort of all such as feare him, as lacke of learnyng, of familiarity, yea acquaintaunce (for I thinke I am vnknowen to you both by face and name) and other such like thyngs: yet I cā not content my self, but presume something to scrible vnto you, not that I thynke my scribling can do you good, but that I might declare my συμπαθεὶαν and compassion, loue, and affection I beare towardes your mastership, whych is contented, yea desirous with vs poore misers, to confesse CHRISTES gospell in these perillous times and dayes of triall. Oh Lord God how good art thou, which dost thus gleane out grapes, MarginaliaHow God gleaneth out hys people.I meane children for thy selfe, and brethren for CHRIST? Looke good M. Hales on your vocation: not many iudges, not many knights, not many landed men, not many rych men, and welthy to liue as you are, hath God chosen to suffer for his sake, as he hath now done you. Certainly I dare say you thinke not so of your selfe, as though God were bound to preferre you, or had neede of you: but rather attribute this, as all good things, vnto his free mercy in CHRIST. Again, I dare say, that you being a wise man, doe iudge of things wisely, that is, concerning this your crosse, MarginaliaThe world, people, and worldly wisedome are euill iudges of things spirituall.you iudge of it not after the world and people, which is magnus erroris magister,  

nor after the iudgement of reason and worldly wisdome, which is folishnes to faith, nor after the present sense, to the which non videtur gaudij sed molestiæ, .i.   It semeth not to be ioyous but greuous,MarginaliaHeb. 12. as Paule writeth: but after the word of God, which teacheth your crosse to be, in respect of your self betwene God and you, gods chastising and your fathers correction, MarginaliaPrayse of the crosse.nurtour, schole triall, pathway to heauen, glory and felicity, & the furnace to consume the drosse and mortify the reliques of old Adam which yet remaine, yea euen in the framehouse to fashion you like to the dearest Saints of God here, yea to CHRIST the sonne of God, that elswhere you might be like vnto him.

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Now, cōcerning your crosse in respect of the world betwene the world and you, MarginaliaThe crosse maketh vs witnesses to God, wherein & in what thinges.Gods word teacheth it to be a testimonyall of Gods truth, of hys prouidence, of his power, of his iustice, of his wisdome, of hys anger against sinne, of his goodnes, of his iudgemēt, of your fayth & religiō: so that by it you are to the world a witnes of God, one of his testes, that he is true, he ruleth all thinges, hee is iuste, wise, and at the length will iudge the worlde and cast the wycked into perdition, but the godly he wil take and receiue into his eternall habitation. I know you iudge of things after faithes fetch, and the effects or endes of things, and so you see æternum pondus gloriæ. i.  

Marginalia2. Cor. 4.An eternall weight of glory, which this crosse shall bring vnto you, dum non spectas ea quæ videntur, sed ea quæ non videntur. i.   While you loke not on the things which are seene, but on the things which are not seene. Let the worldlings way things, and loke vpō the affaires of men with their worldly and corporal eyes, as did many in MarginaliaSubscribing to K. Edwardes will.subscription of the kings last wil, & therefore they did that for the which they beshrewed them selues: but let vs looke on things wyth other manner of eyes, as God be praised you did, in not doyng that which you were desired, & driuen at to haue done. You then beheld things not as a man, but as a man of god, and so you do now in religiō, at the least hetherto you haue done, and that you might do so stil, I humbly besech and pray you, say with Dauid:MarginaliaPsal. 119.Defecerunt oculi mei in eloquium tuum, quando consolaberis me? i.   Mine eyes fayle for thy word, saying: when wilt thou comfort me? Though you be as vter in fumo. i.   like a bottell in the smoke: (for I heare you want health) yet ne obliuiscaris iustificationes Dei: i.   Do not forget the statutes of the Lord: but cry out, quot sunt  

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