GOod Sister, God our father make perfect the good he hath begun in you vnto the ende.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Bradford to Mistres Browne, now called Mistres Bettes.I am afraid to wryte vnto you because you so ouercharge your self at all times, euen whensoeuer I doe but send to you commendations. I would be more bolde on you then many others, and therefore you might suspend so great tokens til I should wryte vnto you of my nede: which thing doutles I would doe, if it vrged me. Deare Sister, I see your vnfained loue to mewardes in God, and haue done of long time, the which I doe recompence with the like, and will doe by Gods grace so long as I liue, and therefore I hope not to forget you, but in my poore prayers to haue you in remembraunce, as I hope you haue me. Otherwise I can doe you no seruice, except it be now and then by my writing to let you from better exercise, where yet the ende of my writing is to excite and stirre vp your hart more earnestly to goe on forwards in your well begun enterprise. For you know Marginalia2. Timo. 2.none shall be crowned, but such as striue lawfully, and none receyueth the gleue, but those that runne to the appoynted marke. None shall be saued but such as persist and continue to the very end. Therefore (deare Sister) remember that MarginaliaHebr. 10.we haue neede of patience, that when we haue done the good will of God, we may receiue the promise. Patience and perseuerance be the proper notes wherby gods children are knowne from counterfaites. They that perseuer not, were alwayes but hypocrites. Many make godly beginnings, yea their progresse seemeth meruellous, but yet after in þ^e end they faile. These were neuer of vs, sayth S. Iohn: for if they had bene of vs, they would haue continued vnto the very ende.

MarginaliaWholsome lessons of life.Goe to therefore mine owne beloued in the Lord: as you haue well begun and well gone forward, so well persist and happely ende, and then all is yours. Though this be sharpe and sower, yet it is not tedious or lōg. Do all that euer you doe, simply for God and as to God, so shall neuer vnkindnes nor any other thing make you to leaue of from well doing, so long as you may do wel. Accustome your selfe now to see God continually, that he may be all in all vnto you. In good things beholde his mercy, and apply it vnto your selfe. In euill thyngs and plagues behold his iudgements, wherethorough learne to feare him. Beware of sinne, as the serpent of the soule, which spoyleth vs of all our ornature & seemely apparel in Gods sight. Let CHRIST crucified be your booke to study on, and that both night and day. Marke your vocation, and be diligent in the workes thereof. Vse harty and earnest prayer, and that in spirite. In all things geue thankes to God our father through CHRIST. Labour to haue here life euerlasting begun in you: for els it wyll not be elsewhere enioyed. Set Gods iudgement often before your eyes, that now examining your self, you may make diligēt sute, and obtaine neuer to come into iudgement. Vncouer your euils to God, that he may couer them. Beware of this Antichristian trash: defile not your selfe in soule or body therewith, but accomplish holines in the feare of God, and beare no yoke with vnbeleuers. Loke for the comming of the Lord, which is at hand: by earnest prayer, and godly life hasten it. God our father accomplish his good worke in you, Amen. Commend me to my good mother mistres Wilkinson, and to my very deare sister mistres Warcuppe. I shal daily commend you all to God, and I pray you do the like for me.

Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Master Bradford to his friend, with instructions how to answere his aduersaries.MY good brother, our merciful God and deare father through CHRIST, open your eyes effectually to see, and your hart ardētly to desire the euerlasting ioy which he hath prepared for his slaughter sheepe, that is, for such as shrinke not frō his truth for any stormes sake, Amen.

When you shall come before the Magistrates to geue an answere of the hope which is in you, do it with all reuerence & simplicity. And because you may be something afraid by the power of the Magistrates & cruelty which they will threaten against you, I would you set before you MarginaliaExample of Moses answering before K. Pharao.the good father Moses, to follow his example: for he set the inuisible God before his eyes of faith, and wyth them loked vpon God and his gloryous maiestie and power, as with his corporall eyes he saw Pharao and all his fearefull terrors. So doe you my dearely beloued: let your inwarde eyes geue such light vnto you, that as you

know you are before the magistrates, so and much more, you and they also are present before the face of god, which will geue such wisedome to you, fearing him and seking his praise, as the enemies shall wonder at, and further, he will so order their harts and doings, that they shall, will they nill they, serue Gods prouidēce towards you (which you can not auoid though you would) as shall be most to his glory, & your euerlasting comfort. Therfore my good brother, let your whole study be only to please God: put him alwayes before your eyes, for he is on your right hād lest you should be moued: he is faithfull, and neuer will suffer you to be tempted aboue that he will make you able to beare. Yea euery heare of your head he hath numbred, so that one of them shall not perish without his good will: which can not be but good vnto you, in that he is become your father through CHRIST, and therfore as he hath geuen you to beleue in him (God encrease this beliefe in vs al) so doth he now graciously geue vnto you to suffer for his names sake: the which you ought with all thankefulnes to receaue, in that you are made worthy to drinke of the selfe same cuppe, which not only the very sonnes of God haue drunke of before you, but euen the very naturall sonne of God him selfe hath brought you good lucke. Oh, he of his mercy make vs thankefull to pledge him againe, Amen.

MarginaliaInstructions how to answere, and to behaue him selfe before the Iudges.Because the chiefest matter they will trouble you and goe about to deceaue you withall, is the Sacrament, not of CHRISTES body and bloud, but of the altar (as they call it) therby destroying the sacrament which CHRIST instituted: I would you noted these two things: First, that the sacrament of the altar which the priest offreth in the Masse and eateth priuately with him selfe, is not the Sacramēt of CHRISTES body and bloud instituted by him, as CHRISTES institution plainly written and set forth in the Scriptures, being compared to their vsing of it, plainely doth declare.

Againe, if they talke with you of CHRISTES Sacrament instituted by him, whether it be CHRISTES body or no: aunswer them, that as to the eyes of your reason, to your tast and corporall senses it is bread and wine, and therefore the scripture calleth it after the consecration so: euen so to the eies, tast, and senses of your faith, which ascendeth to þ^e right hand of God in heauen where CHRIST sitteth, it is in very deede CHRISTES body and bloud, which spritually your soule feedeth on to euerlasting life in faith and by faith, euen as your body presently feedeth on the sacramentall bread and sacramentall wine.

MarginaliaChrist is able to kepe his promise in the Sacrament, the substāce of bread still remaining.By this meanes, as you shall not allow transubstantiatiō, nor none of their Popish opinions: so shal you declare the sacrament to be a matter of faith, and not of reason, as the Papists make it. MarginaliaThe Papistes deny the omnipotencie of God, and how.For they deny Gods omnipotency, in that they say CHRIST is not there if bread be there: but faith loketh on the omnipotency of God, ioined with his promise, & doubteth not but that CHRIST is able to geue that he promiseth vs spiritually by fayth, the bread still remaining in substance, as well as if the substance of bread were taken away: for CHRIST sayth not in any place this is no bread. But of this geare God shall instruct you, if you hang on his promise, and pray for the power and wisedome of his spirit, which vndoubtedly as you are boūd to loke for, praying for it, so he hath bound himselfe by his promise to geue it: the which thing he graunt vnto vs both, & to al his people, for his names sake, through CHRIST our Lord, Amen.

Iohn Bradford.

MarginaliaA letter or exhortatiō of Master Bradford to certeine friendes, to be pacient vnder the crosse.MY dearely beloued in the Lord, as in him I wish you well to fare, so I pray God I and you may continue in his true seruice, that perpetually we may enioy the same welfare, as here in hope, so in heauen in deede and eternally.

You know this world is not your home, but a pilgrimage and place wherin God trieth his children, & therefore as it knoweth you not, nor can know you: so I trust you know not it, that is, you allow it not, nor in any point will seeme so to do, although by many you be occasioned therto. For this hote Sunne which now shyneth, burneth so sore, that the corne which is sowen vpon sand and stony ground, beginneth to wither: that is, many which before times were takē for harty gospellers, begin now for feare of afflictions to relent, yea to turne to their vomit againe, thereby declaring that though they goe from amongst vs, yet were they neuer of vs: for els