MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iuly.Ye all know there was neuer more knowledge of God, and lesse godly liuyng and true seruyng of God. MarginaliaComplaynt of the Carnall and wicked lyfe among Gospellers.It was counted a foolish thyng to serue God truely, & earnest prayer was not past vpon. Preaching was but a pastyme. The Communion was counted too common. Fastyng to subdue the flesh, was farre out of vse. Almes was almost nothyng. Malice, couetousnes, & vncleannes was cōmon euerywhere, with swearing, dronkennes, & idlenes. God therfore now is come as you haue heard me preach, & because he wyl not damne vs with the world, he begynneth to punish vs: as me for my carnal liuyng. For as for my preaching, I am moste certayne it is & was Gods truth, and I trust to geue my life for it by Gods grace: but because I loued not the Gospell truely, but outwardly, therefore dooth he thus punishe me: nay rather in punishyng blesseth me. And in deede I thanke hym more of this prison, then of any Parlour, yea then of any pleasure that euer I had: for in it I find God my most sweete good God alwayes. MarginaliaThe cause why God first punisheth his in this world.The fleshe is punished, first to admonishe vs now hartily to lyue as we professe: secondly, to certifie the wicked of their iust damnatiō, if they repent not.

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Perchaunce you are weakened in that whiche I haue preached, because God dooth not defend it (as you thinke) but suffereth the popish doctrine to come agayn & preuaile: but you must knowe, good mother, MarginaliaGod vseth to proue and try his children.that God by this dooth proue and trie his children and people whether they wyl vnfainedly and simply hang on hym and his word. So dyd he with the Israelites, bringyng thē into a Desert after their cōmyng out of Egypt, where (I meane the wyldernesse) was want of all things in comparison of that whiche they had in Egypt. Christ whē he came into this world, brought no worldly wealth nor quietnes with hym, but rather war: MarginaliaIohn. 16.The world (saith he) shall reioyce, but ye shall mourne and weepe, but your weeping shalbe turned into ioy: and therfore happy are they that mourne and weepe, for they shalbe comforted. They are marked then with Gods marke in their foreheades, & not with the beastes marke, MarginaliaOf this place the Earle of Darby seemeth to take hold, complayning that he curseth them that teacheth any false doctrine. &c. Page. 1523.I meane the Popes shauen crowne, who nowe with his shauelings reioyce:  

but woe vnto them, for they shalbe cast downe, they shal weepe and mourne. The riche glutton had here his ioy and Lazarus sorowe, but afterwardes the tyme was changed. The end of carnal ioy is sorow. Now let the whoremonger ioy, with the drunkard, swearer, couetous, malicious, and blynd bussard sir Iohn:   for MarginaliaThe Masse rebuketh no sinne nor shameth consciences, as preaching doth.þ^e Masse wyl not byte them, neither make them to blushe, as preaching woulde. Nowe may they doo what they wyll, come deuyls to the Church, and goe deuyls home, for no man must finde fault. And they are glad of this: nowe haue they their hartes desire, as the Sodomites had when Loth was gone, but what folowed? Forsooth when they cryed peace, all shalbe well, then came Gods vengeance, fire and brymstone from heauen, and burnt vp euery mothers child: euen so deare mother wyl it do to our Papistes.

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Wherfore feare God: sticke to his woord though all the worlde woulde swarue from it. Dye you must once, and when, or howe, you can not tell. Dye therfore with Christ, suffer for seruyng hym truely and after his woord: MarginaliaThe best death of all deathes, is to dye for Gods sake.for sure may we be that of all deathes it is most to be desired to dye for Gods sake. This is the most safe kynde of dying: we can not doubt but that we shal goe to heauen, if we dye for his names sake. And that you shal dye for his names sake, Gods worde will warrant you, if you sticke to that which God by me hath taught you. You shall see that I speake as I thinke: for by Gods grace I wyll drinke before you of this cup, if I be put to it.

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I doubt not but God wyl geue me his grace, & strengthen me therunto: pray that he would, and that I refuse it not. I am at a poynt euen when my Lord God wil, to come to hym. Death nor lyfe, Prison nor pleasure (I truste in God) shalbe able to separate me from my Lorde God and his Gospel. In peace when no persecution was, then were you content and glad to heare me, then dyd you beleue me, and wyl you not doo so now, seeing I speake that which I trust by Gods grace if neede be, to verifie with my lyfe? Good mother, I write before God to you, as I haue preached before hym.

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It is Gods truth I haue taught: It is that same infallible word wherof he hath sayd: Heauen and earth shall passe, but my woorde shal not passe. The Masse and such baggageMarginaliaThe Masse is a poyson to the Church. as the false worshippers of God and enemyes of Christes Crosse (the Papistes I say) haue brought in againe to poyson the Church of God withal, displeaseth God highly, and is abominable in his sight. Happy may he bee which of conscience suffereth losse of lyfe or goodes in disallowing it. Come not at it. If God be God, folow hym: If the Masse be God, let them that wyll, see it, heare or be present at it, and go to the dyuel with it. What is there as God ordeyned? MarginaliaComparison betwene the Lords supper, and the Masse.His supper was ordeyned to be receiued of vs in

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the memorial of his death, for the confirmation of our fayth, that his body was broken for vs, & his bloud shed for pardō of our sinnes: but in the Masse there is no receiuyng, but the priest keepeth all to hym selfe alone. Christ saith: Take, eate: No, sayth the Priest: gape, peepe. There is a sacrificing, yea killyng of Christe againe as muche as they may. There is Idolatrie in worshippyng the outward signe of bread and wyne: there is al in Latine, you can not tel what he saith. To conclude, there is nothing as God ordeyned. Wherfore my good mother come not at it.

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MarginaliaDoubtes and obiections answered.Oh, wyl some say, it wyl hinder you, if you refuse to come to masse and to do as other do. But God wyl further you, (be you assured) as you shal one day find: who hath promised to them that suffer hinderāce or losse of any thing in this world,MarginaliaMath. 19. his great blessing here, and in the world to come lyfe euerlasting.

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You shal be counted an hereticke: but not of others thē of heretikes, whose prayse is a disprayse.

You are not able to reason against the priestes: but God wyl, that all they shal not be able to withstand you.

No body wil do so but you only: In deede no matter, for fewe enter into the narrow gate which bringeth to saluatiō. Howbeit, you shall haue with you (I doubt not) Father Traues and other my brothers and sisters to goe with you therin: but if they wyl not, I your sonne in God (I trust) shal not leaue you an inche, but goe before you: pray that I may, & geue thankes for me. Reioyce in my suffering, for it is for your sakes to cōfirme the truth I haue taught. How so euer you do beware this letter come not abroad but into father Traues hys handes:  

MarginaliaFor al this caueat, yet this letter came to the Earle of Darbyes knowledge. for if it shoulde be knowen that I haue pen and ynke in the prison, then would it be woorse with me. Therefore to your selues kepe this letter, commendyng me to God and his mercy in Christ Iesus, who make me worthy for his names sake, to geue my lyfe for hys gospell and Church sake. Out of the Tower of London   the sixt day of October. 1553.

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My name I write not for causes, you know it well enough: Like the letter neuer the worse. Commend me to all our good brethren and sisters in the Lorde. How soeuer you do be obedient to the higher powers, that is, in no point either in hand or tongue rebel, but rather if they commaund that which with good conscience you can not obey, lay your head on the blocke, and suffer what soeuer they shall doo or say. By pacience possesse your soules.

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After the time that M. Bradford was condemned, and sent to the Counter, it was purposed of his aduersaries, as ye heard before, MarginaliaPag. 1528.pag. 1528. col. 2. that he should be had to Manchester where he was borne, and there be burned. Wherupon he writeth to the citie of London, thinkyng to take his last Vale  

of them in this letter.

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MarginaliaA fruitfull letter of M. Bradford to the citye of London.TO al that professe the Gospel & true doctrine of our Lord & Saueour Iesus Christ in the citie of London, Iohn Bradford a most vnworthy seruaunt of the Lord, nowe not onely in prison, but also excommunicated & condemned to be burned for the same true doctrine, wisheth mercye, grace, & peace, with encrease of all godly knowledge and pietie, from God the father of mercy, through the merites of our alone and omnisufficient Redeemer Iesus Christ, by the operation of the holy spirite for euer. Amen.

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My dearely beloued brethren in our Saueour Christ, although the tyme I haue to lyue is very litle (for hourely I looke when I should be had hence to be conueyed into Lankeshire, there to be burned, and to render my lyfe by the prouidence of God, where I first receyued it by the same prouidence)  

and although the charge is great to keepe me from a thinges whereby I might signifie any thing to the world of my state: yet hauyng, as now I haue, pen & ynke, through Gods woorkyng, maugre the head of Satan and his souldiers, I thought good to write a short confession of my fayth, and therto ioyne a litle exhortation vnto you al, to lyue accordyng to your profession.

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First for my fayth, I do confesse and pray al the whole Congregation of Christe to beare witnes with me of the same, that I doo beleue constantly through the gyft and goodnesse of God, (for fayth is Gods only gyft) all the. xij. articles of the Symbole or Creede, commonly attributed to the collection of the Apostles. This my faith I woulde gladly particularly declare and expound to the confirmation and comfort of the simple: but alas, by startes and stealth I write in maner that I write, and therfore I shall desire you all to take this breuitie in good part. And this fayth I holde, not because of the Creede it selfe, but because of the woorde of God, the whiche teacheth and confirmeth euery Article accordyngly.  

This worde of God written by

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