Marginalia1556. Iuly.God onely, & farre passe the reach of my power to take at my pleasure. Therfore deare sister, if you wil helpe me to begge the same of our deare louing father, I am sure that he both cā and will geue them me in his good time. MarginaliaIohn Careles nothing touched with feare of death, or of the fire, but only of his sinnes.And as for the feare of death or terrour of the fire, I most hartely thanke my good God, I feele it not: onely it is mine owne sinnes and vnthankfulnes, which holdeth hard battel, and wageth strong warre against me, which onely goeth about to separate me from my good captain CHRIST, that I should not enioy his glorious victorie: but God being on my side (as I am sure he is) that can not continually preuaile against me. Though God for a time permit Sathan to take his pleasure on me, as hee did vppon Iob, yet I doubt not but in the ende, all shall turne to my profit, through the merites of our Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST: to whose most mercifull defence I commit you deare sister, with all the rest of the Lordes elect. Farewell in CHRIST.

Your vnfaynedly, Iohn Careles.
Pray, pray, pray, pray.

¶ To my deare brother. T. V.  

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This letter to Thomas Upcher (whose name is given in the original letter) was first printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 582-85. The original letter is ECL 260, fo. 241r-v; ECL 262, fos. 127r-129v is a copy.

MarginaliaAn other Letter of Iohn Careles, wherin he comforteth the afflicted mind of a certein good brother mourning for lacke of Gods feeling.THe euerlasting peace of God in IESVS CHRIST, the continuall comfortes of his most pure and holy spirite, be with you my most deare frend and faithfull brother V.  

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This is an abbreviation for Upcher.

In the middes of my manifold crosses and troubles, wherein I am constrained to flye vnto God for refuge and succour by earnest and faithful prayer, I can not forget you (my deare harte in the Lord) but esteming your state for mine owne, I do poure forth my complaint for you, as I do for my self, & rather more, as I thinke presente neede doth require, desiring most hartely to heare of the good successe of the same in you. The Lord GOD for his great mercies sake, accomplish my desire, as I doubt not but he will, when he seeth it good and most to his glory, and to your comfort and commoditie. Oh that I might once see you so mery in CHRIST as you haue iust cause to be, that you might say with Dauid: MarginaliaPsal. 57.Awake my glory, awake Lute and Harpe, bryng foorth the Psalter with the mery song, that I might sing a new song of prayse and thankesgeuyng vnto the Lord for the light of his fauourable countenance, his helpe and deliuerance. MarginaliaPsalm. 45.Oh, that would refresh me as a most precious oyle, and gladden my poore harte, which is assaulted with sorrow, moe wayes then one. MarginaliaComfort for a sicke conscience.I doubt not but the same shall by your meanes receiue much comfort, though for a time it doth mourne with you, that we may be made both glad together, yea and that with such gladnes as shal continue for euer. MarginaliaMath. 9.But in the meane space (I say) most happie are you that so hartely mourne the absence of the bridgrome. If you were not a weddyng child, you could neuer do it. Onely CHRISTES true Disciples do mourne for his absence: therfore shall they doubtles reioyce at his presence, which will be so much more ioyful, by how much the absence is more sorrowfull.

Therfore my good brother, take a good hart vnto you and be of good chere. Say with the Prophet Dauid: MarginaliaPsal. 42.O my soule why art thou so heauie, and why art thou so disquieted with in me? O put thy trust in God, for I will yet geue him thankes for the helpe of his louyng countenance, and because he is my God. Read Psalm. the. 41. and. 42. for your comfort, and consider that the holy king and Prophet, at the making and first saying of them, was euen in the same case that you are now in: but he still comforted him self with the sweete promises of God: and so do you my deare harte, for to you they do as well pertaine as they did to him, and as surely shall they be performed vpon you, as they were vpon him: for he is one God and deare father vnto you both, and for his mercie, truth, and promise sake, he must nedes make good vnto you all that he hath said.

MarginaliaGods loue goeth not by our deseruinges, but by fayth in Iesus.If his loue towardes you, stode in the respect of your owne merite or worthines, you might well mourne, lament and complaine: yea you had good cause to doubt, feare and mistrust. But seing he loueth you onely for and in IESVS CHRIST, who is your whole holines, righteousnes, and redemption: lay away all mourning, lamenting and complaining: banish from you all feare, mistrust and infidelitie, and know that as long as CHRIST doth con-

tinue Gods sonne, so long must the loue of the father cōtinue towardes you immutable, and his good will vnchaungeable, and can not be altered through any of your infirmities. For this is most true, that as long as the cause of any thing doth last, so long must the effect remaine: MarginaliaChrist onely is þ^e cause why his father loueth vs.but CHRIST is the whole cause, why the father loueth you, and he also continueth for euer, then must I nedes conclude that the loue of the father continueth towardes you for euer, and (as the Psalmist most ioyfully so often singeth) his mercy endureth for euer and euer. This is most true, mine owne deare hart, MarginaliaWhy God sometyme hydeth hym selfe from vs.although the Lord for a time hyde it from your senses, that you might be the more earnest in prayer to him for the feelyng of it, and also the more thankeful for it when he doth geue the liuely tast of it, as doubtles he will do ere euer it be lōg: and then shall you be well hable to comfort other in the same state that you are now in, with the same comfort wherewith you are and further shalbe cōforted of God.

Therfore, MarginaliaHeb. 12.lift vp your handes that are now a litle fallen downe, and stretch forth the weake knees of your troubled minde, whiche now mourneth with a godly mourning, and therfore shall it be full well comforted with that swete peace of God which passeth all vnderstandyng: and you are sure already to enioy the blessing that CHRIST gaue vnto the godly mourners of Syon vppon the mount, at the first Sermō that he made. Oh happy V. in whose mourning company I had rather be, thē in the house of mirth and banckettingMarginaliaEccle. 7. of such as see not what cause they haue to mourne and be sorie. But yet my good brother, MarginaliaMeasure ought to be in mourning.vse a measure in this your godly mournyng, and make not your faithfull frendes to much sorie for you. Let the persuasions of such godly louers as you do dayly company with all, or rather the persuasions of the holy Ghost by them, moue you to some godly mirth and reioycing. Consider that you are commaunded of God by þ^e mouth of S. Paul, therto: MarginaliaPhil. 4.Reioyce in the Lord (saith he) and I say agayne reioyce. Marke how hee doubleth the sentence, that we may perceiue it is a most earnest and necessarie thing hee requireth. Obey the commaundement of God in this behalfe: wherin as you can not but highly please him, so I assure you, you shall very much reioyce my poore harte, MarginaliaExample of Christian charitie and compassiō towards hys afflicted brother.and the hartes of other which pray for you with mourning teares, and make that cruell enemie Sathan and all your aduersaries sorie, which will reioyce and laugh to see you mourne. Oh my good brother, let it manifestly appeare that the Lord of his great mercy hath heard our faithful and hartie requestes for you. Oh how would that reioyce me in the middes of my troubles?

Therfore now to conclude, because the darkenes constraineth me to make an ende for this time, I say my deare and faithfull brother V. in respect of the great cause you haue of your owne part through CHRIST, and for the glorie and honour of almighty God: the comfort, ioy, and reioycing of your deare brethren and Sisters in CHRIST: also your owne duetie by the commaundement of God: and last of all to vexe, molest and greue Sathan with all, reioyce in the Lord, and be most hartely glad in him, who is wholy yours and you are his and shalbe for euermore. Selah.

Farewell mine owne bowels in the Lord, and praise God with ioyfull lippes and a mery harte, and pray for me his most vnprofitable seruant, which haue more cause concerning my selfe, to lament, then any one man liuing: but my good bridgrome is present, and biddeth me cast away my mourning garmentes, and therfore I must nedes be mery with him: and so he biddeth you to be by my mouth, for he is present with you, although for sorrow you can not know him, as Magdalene could not in the garden, vntill he spake vnto her. The Lord God speake the wordes of comfort in your hart, and open the eyes of your minde, that you may perfectly perceiue and feele his blessed presence, and so reioyce in the same for euermore, Amen. Comfort your hart in CHRIST, and cast your care vpon him, for he careth for you.

Your brother in the Lord abidyng his
good pleasure, Iohn Careles.

¶ To my deare and faithfull brother, Augustine Bernher.  

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This letter was first printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 607-11. ECL 260, fos. 215r-216v is the original of this letter.

MarginaliaAn other Letter of Iohn Careles to faythfnll Augustine Bernher, coūselling him to be circūspect in those daungerous dayes.THe peace of God in IESVS CHRIST, the helpe, comfort, and assistance of his eternal spirite, be with you my deare and faithfull brother Augustine, and with all the rest of my good brethren and sisters of the houses of Baxterley, and Manceter (which mourneth for the mise-