MarginaliaAn. 1556. Iuly.of God, most graciously wrought vpon you, not onely in prouing you and tryeng your faith by his great & huge crosses both inwardly and outwardly, but also in geuing you so great consolation & constancie in the middes of the same. Faithfull is God and true of his promises, who hath said: MarginaliaGods children neuer tempted aboue their strength.That he will neuer suffer his chosen children to be tēpted aboue their strength, but in the middes of their temptation wil make an outscape for them, by such meanes as may make to his glory and their euerlasting consolation. My deare hart, great cause haue you to be of good comfort, for I see in you as liuely a tokē of Gods euerlasting loue and fauour in IESVS CHRIST, as euer I perceiued in any man. In respect wherof I do euen with my hart, loue, honour and reuerence you, beseching God for his glorious names sake, in the bowels and bloud of our Lord and onely Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, to finish his good worke in you. as I doubt not but he wil do, according to his vnfallible promises: MarginaliaHe confirmeth W. Tymmes being condemned, to the day of hys Martyrdome.yea I am well assured therof, for asmuch as you haue so effectually receiued his holy spirite into your hart, as a pledge and sure seale of your eternall redemption, and a testimonie of your adoption in CHRIST IESV: For which cause Sathan so sore enuieth you, that he hath now bent all his fierce ordinaunce against you, thinking therby vtterly to destroy the inuincible forte of your faith foūded most firmly vpō the vnmoueable rocke CHRIST, against the which, the deuill, sinne, nor yet hell gates shall neuer preuaile. Selah.

Therefore mine owne bowels in the Lord, be not discomforted for this your conflict, whiche doubtles shall greatly encrease your crowne of glorie, triumphe, and victorie: but take a good hart vnto you, and buckle boldly with Sathan both in him selfe and in his suttle members. MarginaliaIt is the nature of Gods children to bee tempted.It is the very Diuine ordinaunce of God, that all his regenerate childrē shalbe tempted, proued, and tried: as we see by the example of our Sauiour CHRIST, MarginaliaMath. iiij.who as soone as he was Baptised, was straight wayes led of the holy ghost into the wildernes, there to be tempted of the deuill. But there got he such a glorious victorie of Sathā, that he could neuer since finally preuaile against any of his poore mēbers, but in euery assault that he maketh either inwardly or outwardly, he getteth a foile and taketh shame: so that now he rageth with all the spite possible, specially because he knoweth his time is but short. MarginaliaIames iiij.S. Iames testifieth that he is but a very coward, that will soone flie if he bee faithfully resisted. MarginaliaSathans tempting tooles.And as for his tēpting tooles, þ^e the Lord hath made thē manifest vnto vs, so that he can not deceiue vs, though he assault vs: for as S. Paul saith,Marginaliaij. Cor. ij. His very thoughtes are not vnknowen to vs, as it doth in you largely appeare, praised be the Lordes name therfore.

You see deare brother, that now to molest you and such as you are, that be euen passing from this vale of miserie, hee hath but two wayes, MarginaliaTwo principall pillers of Sathā wherby he assaulteth Gods seruauntes.or two peeces of ordinaunce to shoote at you, with the which he can not hurt you because you haue ij. bulwarkes to defend you. The first of these terrible gunnes that Sathan hath shotte at you, is the very same that he continually shooteth at me, that is to say, MarginaliaFeare of sinne & death, and infidelitie of Gods promises.feare, and infidelitie for the vglesomnes of of death, and horror of my sinnes, which bee so many, greuous, and great. MarginaliaRemedie agaynst feare, and infidelitie.But this pellet is easily put away with the sure shield of faith in þ^e most precious death & bloudsheeding of our deare Lord and onely Sauiour IESVS CHRIST, whom the father hath geuen vnto vs wholy to bee ours for euermore, and with him hath geuen vs all thinges, as Paul saith: so that though we bee neuer so great sinners, yet CHRIST is made vnto vs holynes, righteousnes, and iustification. He hath clothed vs with all his merites, mercies, and most swete sufferinges, and hath taken vnto him all our miserie, wretchednes, sinne and infirmitie. So that if any should now be condemned for the same, it must nedes be IESVS CHRIST, which hath taken them vpon him. But in deede he hath made satisfaction for them to the vttermost iote: so that for his sake they shall neuer be imputed to vs, if they were a thousād times so many mo as they be. This do you most effectuously feele and know, deare brother, a great deale better then I can tell you, blessed be God therfore.

And now Sathan, seing that he can not preuaile with his boistrous battery against this bulwarke of faith, which doth so quenche all his fierie dartes that they can do you no harme, but rather do you good seruice to cast you downe vnder the mightie hand of God, that he may take you vp by his onely grace and power, and so you may render him all the glory by IESVS CHRIST, (whiche thing the enemy can not abide in no wise) therfore hee shooteth of his other peece most pestilēt, to prouoke you

to put some part of your trust & confidence in your selfe, and in your owne holines and righteousnes,MarginaliaThe second pellet of Sathā is confidence and trust in our own good workes. that you might that way robbe God of his glorie, CHRIST of his honour and dignitie of his death. But blessed be the Lord God, MarginaliaRemedie agaynst the 2. pellet.you haue also a full strong bulwarke to beate backe this pestiferous pellet also, euen the pure law of God, which proueth the best of vs all damnable sinners in the sight of GOD, if he would enter into iudgement with vs, according to the seueritie of the same, MarginaliaEsa. lxiiijand that euen our best workes are polluted & defiled in such sorte, as the Prophet describeth them. With which maner of speaking, our freewill Phariseis are much offended: for it felleth al mans righteousnes to the ground (I had like to haue said to the bottome of hel) and extolleth onely the righteousnes of IESVS CHRIST, which is allowed before God, and is freely geuen to all those that firmely beleue, as blessed be God, you do.

Ah my good brother Tymmes, Sathan hath put his hand in a wrong boxe when he beginneth to tempt you, either to vaine glory or mistrust: for you are an old beaten souldiour, and haue had good experience of these maner of temptations both by your selfe, and other, whom you know well were the beloued of God. Be of good chere therfore, deare hart, be of good chere, MarginaliaSathan ouercome in Gods Sainctes.for now Sathan hath wrought all his malice: he hath done all that he can, and hath shotte of all his last peeces wherewith hee had thought to haue done most mischief: but now he seeth he can not preuaile (the strong tower of your faith being so inuincible) he will plucke vp all his tentes, & get him to some other place to practise the like assaultes: and then wil the aungels of God come and minister vnto you the most swete and heauenly consolations of the holy ghost. To him therfore who is able to do exceding aboundantly aboue all that euer we can desire or thinke, I do most hartily commit you, with all the rest of your godly prison felowes, who comfort, strengthen, and defend you with his grace and mightie operation of his holy spirite, as he hath hetherto done, that you hauing a most glorious victorie ouer the suttle Serpent and all his wicked seede, may also receiue the crowne of glory and immortalitie prepared for you before the foundations of the world were laid, and is so surely kept for you in the handes of him whose promise is vnfallible, that the Deuill, sinne, death, or hell shall neuer be able to depriue you of the same. The blessing of God be with you now and for euer more, Amen. Pray, pray, pray, for me.

Your owne for euer Iohn Careles.

¶ To my good Syster. M. C.  

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This letter was written to Margery Cook. It was first printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 579-80. Copies of the letter are: ECL 260, fo. 132r-v, 136r-v, 236r, 238r-v, 240r-v and ECL 262, fos. 129v-131v.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Iohn Careles to M. Cotton a faythfull sister and fauourer of the gospell.THe peace of God in IESVS CHRIST, the eternall comfortes of his swete spirite, be with you my deare and faithfull Sister, to the full accomplishment of that good worke which he hath most graciously begon in you, that the same may be effectual to the setting forth of his glory, and to your euerlasting consolation in him, Amen.

My louing and faithfull Sister in the Lord, I thanke you for all your louing kindnes shewed vnto me, but specially for your godly remembrance of me in your feruent and faithfull prayers, and for your most godly and comfortable letter, whereby you do not onely much encrease my ioy and comfort, but also put me in remembraunce of my duetie towardes you. Blessed be the Lord our God, which of his great mercy hath so beautified his Church in these our dayes, that euen vnto many godly women, MarginaliaGods great gifts in women.hee hath geuen most excellent giftes of knowledge & vnderstanding of his truth, so that they are not onely well able to enforme their owne consicences in all thinges necessarie to saluation, but also most swetely to comfort their sorowfull brethren and sisters that sustaine any trouble for the testimonie of Gods truth, yea & that which is more, euen in the middest of their great conflictes of conscience. Of which most happie number of godly and vertuous womē, my deare hart, you are one, and that of the chiefest, being plentifully endued with the giftes of Gods most gracious spirite, as it doth full well appeare in your dayly doinges, GOD onely haue the praise therfore.

MarginaliaNote how God some times geueth comfort by weaker vessells.For asmuch then as GOD hath geuen you the gift to write, I shal most hartly desire you to let me heare from you sometimes, be it neuer so litle, for truly I take great comfort and courage thereby, specially in my poore conscience, which is sore assaulted of subtill Sathan, and in a maner oppressed of my sinnes. Pray deare sister, that God may geue me true, harty, and earnest repentaunce, and increase my faith, for they are both the good giftes of