MarginaliaAn. 1556. Iuly.peare: Yet I desire you to take it in good worth, as a token of my poore zeale vnto you, and to accept my good will. And if it please God to spare me life and libertie, I trust hereafter to write vnto you more largely. Fare ye well deare sister E. K. the Lord blesse you and all yours, and powre vpon you the heauenly dewe of his grace. The Lord endue you with plentifull knowledge of his veritie, and fill you with his holy and mightie spirite, that you may continually reioyce in the comfortes of the same now and euer, Amen. Pray, pray, pray, with stedfast fayth.

Your dayly Oratour Iohn Careles
prisoner of the Lord.

MarginaliaRead before pag. 2078.¶ In the letters of William Tymmes, ye heard before pag. 2079. much mencion made of Agnes Glascoke.  

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See 1570, pp. 2077-8; 1576, p. 1792 and 1583, p. 1898.

¶ A Letter of Careles to Agnes Glascocke.  

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This letter was first printed in the 1570 edition and is not in Letters of the Martyrs.

MarginaliaA Letter of Iohn Careles to Mistres Agnes Glascocke.THe euerlasting peace of God in IESVS CHRIST: the continuall ayd, strength, and comfortes of his most pure, holy, and mighty spirite, be with you deare and faithfull sister Glascoke, to the good performance of that good worke which God hath so graciously begon in you, to his glory, the cōmoditie of his poore afflicted church, and to your owne eternall comfort in him, Amen.

In our Lord I haue my most humble and hartie cōmendations vnto you my deare sister, and most faithfull mother Glascoke, with all remēbraunce of you in my daily prayers, geuing God most hartie laude, prayse, and thankes, for you and on your behalfe, in that he of his great mercy hath hetherto so mightely strēgthened you, constantly to cleaue vnto your Captaine CHRIST, notwithstanding the great assaultes and manifold temptations, that you haue had to the contrary. Doubtles deare hart it can not be expressed, what ioy and comfort it is vnto my very soule, to see how mightely the Lord hath magnified him selfe in you, & other his deare electe darelynges, whom he will shortly glorifie with him selfe, as he hath done other of his sweete Saintes that are gone before you. Reioyce therfore and be glad: for verilie you haue good cause if you diligently consider the great dignitie that God hath called you vnto euen now in your old age, to be one of his worthy witnesses vnto þ^e world, and I thinke you shall with me and other your brethren in bondes, seale the Lordes veritie with the testimony of your bloud. Surely swete sister, MarginaliaWhat an high honour it is to suffer for Christ.this is the greatest promocion that God can bring you or any other vnto in this life: and an honor that the highest aungell in heauen is not permitted to haue.

Therfore happy are you, oh faithful daughter of Abraham, that the Lord will now preferre you before many other, yea or any other of your age, that I do know in Englād. Oh faithful and vertuous matrone, which wilt not be moued from the sure rocke CHRIST, vpon whom you haue so firmly built your house, that neither stormes nor tempestes, neither yet hell gates, or any other temptations shall euer be able once to preuaile against it. Full well doth it appeare by your constant continuance, that you haue played the part of a wise builder in counting the cost afore hand belonging to the finishyng of your tower, and I doubt not but (through Gods gift) you haue sufficient to the performance thereof, that the hypocrites, of their part shall haue no iust cause to triumph against you or to mocke you, saying, loe this woman began to build, but is not able to make an end. Therfore goe on boldly and feare not: for God is faythfull (as S. Paule sayth) which will not suffer you to bee tempted aboue your strength, but either will hee geue you grace and strength to stand vnto the death (which is the gate and entraunce into life) or els he will make such an outscape for you as shalbe to the settyng forth of his glory: the which aboue all other things, we that are his chosē children ought for to seeke, yea euen with the losse of our owne liues, beyng yet well assured that the same shal not

be shortened one minute of an houre before the time that God hath appointed.

Cast therfore (deare sister) all your care vpō the Lord, which (as S. Peter sayth) careth for you. Great is his prouidence for you, and mighty is his loue and mercy towards you. With his grace he will defend you, and with his holy spirite he will euermore guide you: wherewith he hath surely sealed you vnto the day of redemption: he hath also geuen you the same in earnest for the recouery of the purchased possession, which hee hath prepared for you before the foundation of the world was layd. MarginaliaHe exhorteth her to be strong.Be strong therfore and take a good hart, as I heare say you be. God for euer be blessed for you, which hath graft his loue in your good hart that nothyng is able to separate you from the same, but will rather chuse to suffer aduersitie with the people of God then to enioy the pleasure of sinne for a litle season. Oh happy woman that canst finde in thyne hart to esteme the rebukes of CHRIST to be greater riches then all the treasures of the world, as good Moyses did. Doubtles great is your reward in heauen: which you shall shortly receaue of his free gift, and not of any deseruing.

Thus deare mother Glascoke, I haue bene bold to trouble you with my rude and simple letters, desiryng you to take thē in good worth, beyng done in great hast, as it doth appeare: but yet procedyng from a poore harte which floweth ouer in loue towardes you: as my dayly prayers for you can testifie: which I trust shall supply that part of my duety towardes you that my penne now wanteth. I thanke you deare hart, for all your louing tokens, and for the great kyndenes you haue hetherto shewed vnto my poore brother Tymmes and his wife & children, with all other of Gods people to whom you dayly do good:MarginaliaThe charitie of Mistres Glascocke to the prisoned Sainctes. the Lord recompence the same seuenfold into your bosome, as I doubt not but he will, accordyng to his vnfallible promises. I pray you haue my hartie commendations vnto your husbande. I besech the Lord strength him in the confession of his truth (as my trust is that he will) that we may all ioyfully rest with Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob in the kyngdome of God: vnto the which hee bryng vs, that with his most precious bloud hath bought vs. The blessing of God be with you now and euer, Amen.

Your dayly Oratour and vnfayned louer
Iohn Careles, prisoner of the Lord, Pray,
pray, pray.

¶ A brief admonitiō written to Mistres Agnes Glascoke, in a booke of hers when she came to the prison to visite him.  

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This admonition was first printed in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 638-39.

MarginaliaA note or poesy written in Mistres Glascockes booke by Iohn Careles.THere is nothyng that the holy Scripture throughout doth so much commend vnto vs, as true fayth and stedfast trust in the promises of Gods eternall mercies towardes vs in IESVS CHRIST. For from the same, as forth of the chiefe fountaine and welspryng of lyfe, do flow all kindes of vertues and godly fruites, specially true loue towardes GOD, in the which we ought purely to serue hym all the dayes of our life: and also Christian charitie towardes our neighbours, aswell to helpe them at al needes, as also not to hurt them by any meanes. Therfore pray earnestly for the increase of faith and liuely feeling of Gods mercy: for all thinges are possible vnto hym that can vndoubtedly beleue. MarginaliaThe effectes of fayth.Faith is þ^e thyng which assureth vs of Gods mercy, and whereby we vanquishe all the fiery dartes of the deuill: our victory that ouercommeth the world: the knife that killeth and mortifieth the fleshe: and finally that which setteth vs at peace with God, and quieteth our consciences alwayes before hym, and maketh vs mery and ioyfull vnder the crosse, with many moe thinges then I can now expresse. Pray therfore for fayth, in faith. And for the Lordes sake, beware of Popery and Popish Idolatry, the Idoll of the wicked Masse, and other Idolatrous seruice. Make not your body, which is a member of CHRIST, a member of Antichrist. Remember that we shall receaue of God accordyng to that we do in the body, be it good or euill. Therfore glorifie God in your body, which is dearely bought. Betray not the truth, lest the Lord deny you. If God be God, follow him. You can not serue two masters. I write not this as doubtyng you, but by the way of admonition. GOD keepe you from all euill.