MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.kinde affection of God your father towards you. And therefore vpon the consideration of your infirmities and naturall euils, which continually cleaue vnto vs, take occasion to goe to God, as your father through CHRIST, and before his merciful hart, lay open your infirmities and euils, with desire of pardon and helpe after his good will and pleasure, MarginaliaNo time nor meanes to be prescribed to God.but in his tyme, and not when you will, and by what meanes he will, not that way you would: in the meane season hange on hope of his fatherly goodnes, and surely you shall neuer be ashamed. For if a woman that is natural, can not finally forget the child of her wombe, be sure God which is a father supernaturall, can not nor wyll not forget you. MarginaliaEsay. 49.Yea if a woman could be so forgetfull, yet God him self sayth, he will not be so.

This opinion, yea rather certaine persuasyon of God your father through CHRIST, see that you cherish, and by all meanes, as well by diligent consideration of his benefites, as of his louing correctiōs, whether they be inwarde or outwarde, see that you nourishe: knowing for certaine that MarginaliaThe practise of the deuill to bring a man in doubt, whether he be Gods child or no.as the deuill goeth about nothing so much as to bring you in a doubt whether you be Gods childe or no: so what soeuer shall moue you to admit that dubitatiō, be assured the same to come from the deuill. If you feele in your selfe not only the want of good things, but also plenty of euill, do not therfore doubt whether you be Gods childe in CHRIST or no. MarginaliaWe ought to measure Gods fauour neither by our goodnes nor ilnes, but only by our fayth in Christ.

For if for your goodnes or ilnes sake, which you feele or feele not, you should beleue or doubt, then should you make CHRIST IESVS, for whose sake only God is your father, either nothyng, or els but a half CHRIST. But rather take occasion of your wants in good, and of your plenty in euil, to goe to God as to your Father, and to pray him, that in as much as he commaūdeth you to beleue that he is your God and Father: so he would geue you his good spirite, that you might feele the same, and liue as his child to his glory: and cease not vpon such prayers to looke for comfort in Gods good time, still hoping the best, and reiecting all dubitation, and so all euill workes, words, and cogitations, as the Lord shall enable you by his good spirit and grace, which I besech hym to geue vnto you, my good sister for euer. And further I pray you, that as he hath made you to be an helper vnto your husband, so you woulde endeuour your self therin to shew the same aswel in soule as body: and begge grace of God that your endeuours may be effectuall to both your comforts in CHRIST, Amen.

Iohn Bradforde.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Bradford to W. P.GRace and peace from God the father, through our Lord IESVS CHRIST, Amen.

Deare brother, God most iustly hath cast me now into a dūgeon, but much better then I deserue: wherin I see no man but my Keper, nor can see any except they come to me. Somthing in the earth my lodging is: which is an example & memoriall of my earthly affections (which God I trust will mortifie) and of my sepulchre, wherunto I trust my Lord God wyll bryng me in peace in hys good time. In the meane season, he geue me patience, liuely hope, and his good spirit. I pray you pray for me, for the praier of the godly if it be effectual, worketh much with God. I thanke God, my MarginaliaThis disease was a rewme with a feblenes of stomacke, wherewith he was much troubled whiles he was at libertie.common disease doth lesse trouble me, then when I was abroad, which doth teach me the mercifull prouidence of God towards mee. Vse true and harty prayer, and you shall perceiue God at lēgth wil declare him self to see where now many thinke he sleepeth.

Out of the Tower by the Lordes
prisoner Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Bradford to a faithfull woman inwardly afflicted.GOd our good father for his mercies sake in CHRIST with his eternall consolation so comfort you, as I desire to be comforted of him in my most neede: Yea he will comfort you my deare sister: only cast your care vpon him,MarginaliaRom. 11. and he neuer can nor will forsake you. For his caling and giftes be such, that he can neuer repent him of them. Whom hee loueth, he loueth to the ende: none of his chosen can perish. Of which number I

know you are, my dearely beloued sister: God encrease the faith thereof daily more and more in you: he geue vnto you to hang wholy on him and on his prouidēce and protection. For who so dwelleth vnder *Marginalia* i. Gods prouidence and protection. Psal. 31. 90. that secrete thing, and helpe of the Lord, he shal be cocke sure for euer more. He that dwelleth I say: for if we be flitters and not dwellers, as was MarginaliaGene. 19.Loth a flitter from Segor, where god promised him protectiō if he had dwelled there still, we shall remoue to our losse, as he did in to the mountaines. Dwell therefore, that is, trust and that finally vnto the end, in the Lord (my deare syster) and you shalbe as Mout Syon. As mountaines compasse Ierusalem: so doth the Lord all his people. How then can he forget you, which are as the apple of hys eye, for his deare sonnes sake. Ah deare hart, that I were now but one halfe houre with you, to be a Symon to helpe to cary your crosse with you. God sende you some good Symon to be with you, and helpe you.

You complayne in your letters of the blyndnes of your mind, and the troubles you feele. My dearlye beloued, GOD make you thankefull for that which he hath geuen vnto you: he open your eyes to see what and howe great benefites you haue receaued, that you may be lesse couetous or rather impacient, for so (I feare me) it should be called, and more thankful. Haue not you receaued at his hands, sight to see your blindnes, and therto a desirous and seeking hart to see where he lieth in the middle day, as his deare spouse speaketh of her selfe in the Canticles? Oh Ioyce, my good Ioyce, what a gift is this? Many haue some sight, but none this sobbing and sighing, none this seeking, which you haue I know, but such as he hath marryed vnto him in his mercyes. You are not content to kisse his feete with the Magdalen, but you would be kyssed euen with the kisse of his mouth. Cant. 1. You wold see his face with Moses, forgetting how he biddeth vs seke his face. Psalme. 27. yea and that for euer, Psalme. 105. Which signifieth no such sight as you desire, to bee in this presēt life, which would see God now face to face, where as MarginaliaGod can not be sene but couered vnder something.he can not be seene but couered vnder something: yea some time in that which is (as you would say) cleane contrary to God: as to see his mercy in his anger. MarginaliaHow fayth seeth God, where flesh seeth hell.In bringing vs to hell, faith seeth him bring vs to heauen: in darkenes it beholdeth brightnes: in hiding his face from vs, it beholdeth his mery countenaunce. How did Iob see God, but (as you would say) vnder Sathans cloke? For who cast the fire from heauen vpon his goods? Who ouerthrew his house and stirred vp men to take away his cattell, but Sathan? And yet Iob pearced through all these, and sawe Gods worke, saying: The Lord hath geuen, the Lord hath taken away. &c. In reading of the Psalmes, how often doe you see that Dauid in the shadow of death, saw Gods swete loue? And so (my dearely beloued) I see that you in your darkenes and dimnes, by faith doe see clarity and brightnes: by faith (I say) because faith is of things absent, of things hoped for, of things which I appeale to your conscience whether you desire not. And can you desire any thing which you know not? And is there of heauenly things any other true knowledge then by faith?

Therefore my deare hart, be thankefull, for (before God I wryte it) you haue great cause. Ah my Ioyce, MarginaliaThe state of Gods children described.howe happy is the state wherein you are? Verely you are euen in the blessed state of Gods children: for they mourne, and do not you so? And that not for worldly weale, but for spirituall riches, fayth, hope, charity. &c. Doe you not hunger and thirst for righteousnes?MarginaliaMath. 5. And I pray you sayth not CHRIST, who can not lye, that happy are such? How shold god wype away the teares from your eyes in heauen, if now on earth you shed no teares? How could heauen be a place of rest, if on earth you did finde it? How could you desire to be at home, if in your iourney you found no grief? How could you so often cal vpon God, and talke with him as I know you do, if your enemy should sleepe all day long? How shold you elswhere be made like vnto Christ, I meane in ioy, if in sorrow you sobbed not with him? If you will haue ioy and felicity, you must first needes feele sorrow and misery. MarginaliaThe way to heauen is to go thorough hell.If you will go to heauen, you must saile by hell. If you will embrace Christ in his robes, you must not thinke scorne of him in his ragges. If you wil sit at Christes table in his kingdom, you must first abide with him in his temptations. If you will drinke of his cuppe of glory, forsake not his cuppe of ignominy.