Marginalia1555. Iuly.lowing the blind, they both may fall into the ditch: out of the which God deliuer them according to his good wil, and preserue vs for his names sake, that we being in his light, may continue therein, and walke in it whilest it is day: so shall the night neuer ouerpresse vs, we going from light to light, from vertue to vertue, from faith to faith, from glory to glory by the gouernaunce of Gods good spirite, which God our father geue vnto vs all for euer and euer, Amen.

Your brother in bonds for the testimony
of IESVS CHRIST, Iohn Bradford.

Here foloweth an other letter of M. Bradford, to one Richard Hopkins,MarginaliaHe wrote also an other fruitfull letter to thys Richard Hopkins, which you may read in the boke of letters of the Martyrs. Sheriffe sometimes of Couentrey, and yet being (as I heare say) aliue. This Hopkins whom M. Bradford commēdeth so much in this letter, during the time of his Shrifealty, was detected and accused by certaine malignant aduersaries, of matter pertaining to religion. What matter it was, I am not yet certainly informed, vnlesse it were for sending and lending vnto a theefe being then in prison ready to be hanged, a certaine English boke of scripture for his spirituall comfort. Wherupon, or els vpon some such like mater, he being maliciously accused, was sent for and committed to the Fleete, & there endured a sufficient time, not without great perill of life. Not withstanding, the sayd Hopkins being at length deliuered out of pryson, folowing this counsell of M. Bradford, and minding to keepe his cōscience pure frō Idolatry, was driuen w^t his wife and. viij. yong children to auoide the realme, and so leauing all other worldly respectes, with his great losse and damage went into high Germany, where he continued in the City of Basill, til the death of Quene Mary, being like a good Tobias, to his power a frendly helper and a comfortable relieuer of other English exiles there about him: Gods holy blessing so working wyth him therefore, that in those farre countreys, neyther he fell in any great decay, neither any one of all hys houshold, during all that time there miscaryed, but so many as he brought out, so many he recaryed home againe, yea and that with aduauntage, and Gods plenty withall vpon him. Now the letter written to thys Richard Hopkins by M. Bradford, is this.

MarginaliaA letter of Master Bradford to Richard Hopkins prisoner the same time for his conscience.DEarely beloued in the Lord, I wish vnto you, as vnto mine owne brother, yea as to mine owne hart roote, Gods mercy and the feeling of the same plentifully in CHRIST our sweete Sauiour, who gaue him selfe a raunsome for our sinnes, and price for our redemption, praised therfore be his holy name for euer & euer, Amen.

I will not goe about to excuse my selfe for not sending vnto you hetherto, suffering for the Lordes sake as you doe, to the comfort of me and of all that loue you in the truth: but rather accuse my self both before God and you, desiring you of forgeuenes, and wyth me to pray to God for pardon of this my vnkind forgetting you, & all other my sinnes, which I besech the Lord in his mercy, to doe away for his CHRISTES sake, Amen.

Now to make amends to you ward, I would be glad if I could, but bicause I can not, I shall hartely desire you to accept þ^e wil, & this which I shall now write vnto you, thereafter: I meane, after my wil & not after þ^e dede, to accept and take it. At this present my deare hart in the lord, you are in a blessed state, although it seeme otherwise to you, or rather vnto your olde Adam, the which I dare now be so bold as to discerne frō you, because you would haue him not only discerned, but also vtterly destroyed. For if God be true, thē is his word true. Now his word pronounceth of your state that it is happy, therefore it must needes be so. To proue this, I thinke it neede not: for you know that the holy Ghost sayth, that they are happy which suffer for righteousnes sake, and that Gods glory and spirit resteth on them which suffer for conscience in God. Now this you can not but know, that this your suffering is for righteousnes sake and for conscience to Godwardes, for els you might be out of trouble euen out of hande. I know in very deede that you haue felt and do feele your

vnthankefulnes to God and other sinnes, to witnesse to you, that you haue deserued this prisonment and lacke of liberty, betwixt God and your selfe, and I would you so would confesse vnto God in your prayers, with petition for pardon & thankes geuing for his correcting you here. MarginaliaMartyrs persecuted not for their sinnes, but for Christ only and the Gospell.But you know that the Magistrates do not persecute in you your sinnes, your vnthankefulnes. &c. but they persecute in you CHRIST himself, his righteousnes his verity, and therefore happy be you that haue found such fauoure with God your father, as to accompt you worthy to suffer for his sake in the sight of man: surely you shall reioyce therfore one day with a ioy vnspeakeable in the sight of man also.

You may thinke your selfe borne in a blessed time, that haue found this grace with God, to be a vessell of honor to suffer with his Saints, yea with his sonne. My beloued, God hath not done so with many. The Apostle saith: Marginalia1. Cor. 2.Not many noble, not many rich, not many wyse in the worlde, hath the Lorde God chosen. Oh then what cause haue you to reioyce, that amongst the not many, he hath chosen you to be one? For this cause hath god placed you in your office, that therefore you might the more see hys speciall dignation and loue towards you. It had not ben so great a thing for M. Hopkins to haue suffred as M. Hopkins, as it is for M. Hopkins also to suffer as M Shrieffe. Oh happy day that you were made Shrieffe, by þ^e which, as God in this world would promote you to a more honourable degree, so by suffering in this roome he hath exalted you in heauen and in the sight of his church and children, to a much more excellent glory. When was it red, that a Shrieffe of a city hath suffred for þ^e Lords sake? Where read we of any Shrieffe that hath ben cast in prisō for conscience to Godward? How could God haue delt more louingly with you, then herein he hath done? To the end of the world it shall be written for a memoryall to your praise, that Richard Hopkins Shrieffe of Couētry, for conscience to do his office before God, was cast in the Flete, and there kept prisoner a long time. Happy, and twise hapy are you, if herefore you may geue your life. Neuer could you haue attained to this promotiō on this sort out of that office. How do you preach now, not onely to all men, but specially to Magistrates in this Realme? Who would euer haue thought, that MarginaliaR. Hopkins the first Magistrate that suffred for his conscience.you should haue bene the first Magistrate, that for CHRISTES sake should haue lost any thing? As I sayd before, therefore I say againe, that your state is happy. Good brother, before god I write the truth vnto you, my conscience bearing me witnes, that you are in a most happy state with the Lord, and before his sight.

Be thankefull therefore, reioyce in your trouble, pray for pacience, perseuer to the ende, let pacience haue her perfect worke. MarginaliaIacob. 1.If you want this wisdome & power, aske it of God, who wil geue it to you in his good time. Hope still in him, yea if he should slay you, yet trust in him with Iob, and you shall perceaue that the ende will be to find him merciful and ful of compassion: for he wil not breake promise with you, which hetherto did neuer so with any. He is with you in trouble: he heareth you calling vpon him, yea before you cal, your desires are not only known, but accepted through CHRIST. If now and then he hide his face from you, it is but to prouoke your appetite, to make you the more to long for him. This is most true: he is a comming and will come, he will not be long. But if for a time he seeme to tary, yet stand you still & you shall see the wōderfull workes of the Lord. Oh beloued, wherfore should you be heauy? Is not CHRIST Emanuel, God with vs? shall you not find, that as he is true in saying: in the world you shall haue trouble: so is he in saying: in me you shall haue comfort? He doth not sweare only that trouble will come, but withall he sweareth that comfort shall ensue. And what comfort? such a comfort as Marginalia1. Cor. 2.the eie hath not seene, the eare hath not heard, nor the hart of man cā conceaue. Oh great comfort. Who shall haue this? Forsoth they that suffer for the lord. And are not you one of them? Yea verely are you. Then (as I sayd) happy, happy, and happy againe are you my dearely beloued in the Lord. You now suffer with the Lord: surely you shall be gloryfied with him. Call vpō God therfore now in your trouble, and he will heare you, yea deliuer you in such sort as most shal make both to his & your glory also. And in this calling I hartely pray you to pray for me your fellow in afflictiō. Now we be both going in the high way to heauen, for by many afflictions must we enter in thether: whether god bring vs for his mercies sake, Amen, Amen.

Your fellow in affliction,
Iohn Bradford.