MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.thinke good to Trew and hys felowes. The Lord hath his time (I hope) for them also, although we perchaūce thinke otherwyse. MarginaliaThe charitable spirite of M. Bradford, in reducing them that be weake and ignorant.A drop maketh the stone hollow, not with once, but with often dropping: so if with hartye prayer for them and good example, you still & drop vppon them as you can, you shall see Gods worke at the length. I besech God to make perfect all the good hee hath begun in vs all, Amen. I desyre you all to pray for me the most vnworthy prisoner of the Lord.

Your brother Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Maister Bradford to Iohn Hall and his wife in Newgate prison.ALmighty God our heauenly Father through IESVS CHRIST, be with you both my dearly beloued, as with his deare childrē for euer, and he so blesse you with his holy spirite, that you may in this your crosse (for his cause doubtles) reioyce, and gladly take it vp to beare it so long as he shal thinke good. I haue heard (my good brother and sister) how that God hath brought you both into his scholehouse. (where as you were both purposed by his leaue to plaid the trewands) that therby you might see his carefulnes and loue toward you. For if it be a token of a louyng and carefull father for his children, to preuent the purpose, and disapoynt the intent of his children, purposing to depart a while from the schole for feare of beatyng, (which thing they would not doe if they did as much consider the commodity of learning which there they might get): how should you take this worke of the Lord preuēting your purpose, but as an euident signe of loue & fatherly carefulnes that he beareth towardes you? If he should haue wincked at your wylles, then would you haue escaped beating, I meane the crosse: but then should you haue lost the commodity of learning, which your father will now haue you to learne & feele, and therfore hath he sent to you his crosse. He I say, hath brought you where you be: & though your reason and wit wil tel you, it is by chaunce or fortune, or otherwise, yet (my derely beloued) know for certain that whatsoeuer was the meane, God your father was the worker hereof, and that for your weale, although otherwise your olde Adam doth tell you, and you feele: yet I say of truth that your duety is to thinke of thys crosse, that MarginaliaThe crosse commeth not without Gods sending.as it is of Gods sendyng, and cōmeth from him: so although your desertes be otherwise, it is of loue and fatherly affection for your weale and cōmodities sake.

What commoditye is hereby, you will perchaunce obiect. You are now kept in close prison you will say: your family and children be without good ouerseers: your substance diminisheth by these meanes: pouertye wil approch, and perchaunce more perils also, yea and losse of life too. These are no cōmodities but discōmodities, and that no smal ones: so that iustly you would be glad to know what commodity can come to you by this crosse, whereby cometh so great discommodityes.

MarginaliaWorldly losse recompensed with endles and perpetuall gayne by the crosse.To these things I aunswer, that in dede it is true you say of your bodies, families, children, substaunce, pouerty, life. &c. Which things, if you would consider a while wyth inward eyes, as you beholde them wyth outward, then perhaps you shoulde finde more ease. Doe not you now by the inwarde sense perceyue that you must part from all these and all other commodyties in the world? Tell me then, haue not you this cōmodity by your crosse, to learne to loth and leaue the world and to lōg for and desire an other world, where is perpetuitie? You ought of your owne head and free wil to haue (according to your profession in baptisme) forsaken the world and all earthly things, vsyng the world, as though you vsed it not, your hart only sette vpon your hourd in heauen, or els you could neuer be Christes true disciples, that is be saued, and be where he is. MarginaliaWhat commoditie the crosse bringeth.And trow you (my good harts in the lord) trow you I say, that this is no commodity, by this crosse to be cōpelled hereto, that you might assuredly enioy with the Lord endles glory? How now doth god (as it were) fatherly pull you by the eares to remember your former offences concerning these things and all other things, that repentance and remission might ensue? How doth God now compell you to call vpon him, and to be earnest in prayer? Are these no commodities? Doth not the scripture say that, God doth correct vs in the world because we shall not be damned with the world? That God chasteneth euery one

whom hee loueth? that the ende of this correction shalbe ioy and holines? Doth not the scripture say that, MarginaliaPromises annexed to the crosse.they are happy that suffer for righteousnes sake, as you now doe? that the glory and spirite of God is vpō them? that, as you are now made like vnto Christ in suffering, so shall you be made like hym in raigning? Doth not the scripture say that you are now going the high and right way to heauen? that your suffring is Christes suffering? My dearely beloued, what greater commodities then these, can a godly hart desire?

Therefore ye are commaunded to reioyce & be glad when ye suffer, as now ye doe: for through the goodnes of God, great shalbe your rewarde. Where? Forsothe on earth, first for your children: for now they are in Gods mere and immediate protection. Neuer was father so carefull for his children, as God is for yours presently. Gods blessing which is more worth then all the world, you leaue in dede to your children. Though al your prouidence for them should be pulled away: yet God is not poore, he hath promised to prouide for them most fatherly. MarginaliaPsal. 55.Cast thy burthen vpon me (saith he) and I will beare it. Doe you therefore cast them and commend them vnto God your father, and doubt not that he will die in your det. He neuer yet was foūd vnfaithfull, & he wil not now begin with you. MarginaliaPsal. 37.The good mans seede shall not goe a begging his bread: for he will shew mercy vpon thousandes of the posterity of them that feare him. MarginaliaCare of children to be left to Gods prouidence.Therefore as I said, Gods reward first vpon earth shall be felt by your children euen corporally, and so also vpon you if God see it more for your commodity, at the least inwardly you shall feele it by quietnes and comfort of conscience: and secondly after this life, you shall finde it so plentifully, as the eye hath not seene, the eare hath not heard, the hart cannot conceiue how great and glorious Gods reward will be vpon your bodies, much more vpon your soules. God open our eyes to see and fele this in deede. Then shall we thinke the crosse which is a meane hereto, to be commodious. Then shal we thanke God that he would chastice vs. Then shall we say with Dauid: happy am I that thou hast punished me, for before I went astray, but now I keepe thy lawes.

Marginalia4. thinges to be considered of all men that be vnder the crosse.This that we may do in deede my dearely beloued, let vs first know that our crosse commeth from God: Secondly, that it commeth from God as a father, that is, to our weale and good. Therefore let vs thirdly call to mynde our sinnes & aske pardon. Wherto let vs fourthly looke for helpe certainly at Gods hand in hys good time: helpe I say, such as shall make most to Gods glory, and to the comfort and commoditie of our soules and bodies eternally. This if we certainly conceiue, then wil there issue out of vs harty thankes geuing, which God requireth as a most precious sacrifice. That we may all through CHRIST offer this, let vs vse earnest prayer to our God and deare father, who blesse vs, kepe vs, & cōfort vs vnder hys sweete crosse for euer, Amen, Amen.

My deare harts, if I could any way comfort you, you should be sure thereof, though my life lay thereon, but now I must do as I may, because I cā not as I would. Oh that it would please our deare father shortly to bring vs where we should neuer depart, but enioy continually the blessed fruition of his heauenly presence: pray, pray, that it may spedely come to passe, pray. To morrow I wyll send vnto you to know your estate, send me word what are the chiefest thynges they charge you wythall. From the Counter.

By your brother in the Lord
Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Maister Bradford to Mistres Hall.OVr most merciful God and father through CHRIST IESVS our Lord and Sauiour, be merciful vnto vs, and make perfect the good he hath begun in vs vnto the ende, Amen.

My deare Sister, reioyce in the Lord, reioyce: be glad (I say) be mery and thākefull, not onely because CHRIST so commaūdeth vs,MarginaliaMath. 5. but also because our state wherin we are presently, requireth no lesse, for we are the Lordes witnesses. God the father hath vouched saffe to chose vs amongest many, to witnes and testifie, that CHRIST his sonne is Kyng and that his word is true. CHRIST our Sauiour for his loues sake towardes vs, will haue vs to beare record that he is no vsurper nor deceiuer of the people, but Gods Ambassadour, Prophet, and Messias: so that of all dignities vpō earth this is þ^e highest. Greater honour had not his Prophetes, Apostles nor dearest