MarginaliaHe mourneth for the losse and lacke of Master Bradford in the Church.Marginalia1556. Iuly.doubtles, death is made lyfe and great felicitie: but for the great losse that Gods Churche here in Englande shall sustaine by the takyng away of so godly, worthy, and necessary an instrument, as the Lorde hath made you to be. Oh that my life and a thousand such wretched lyues mo might go for yours. Oh, why doth God suffer me and such other Caterpyllers to lyue, that can doo nothing but consume the almes of the church, and take away you so worthy a workeman & labourer in the Lords vineyard? But wo be to our sinnes & great vnthankfulnes, whiche is the greatest cause of the taking away of such worthy instruments of God, as should set forth his glory, and instruct his people. If we had ben thankful vnto God for the good ministers of his word, we had not bene so soone depriued both of it and them. The Lorde forgeue our great ingratitude & sinnes, and geue vs true repentance and fayth, and hold his hand of mercy ouer vs, for his deare sonne Christes sake. Take not awaye all thy true preachers forth of this realme (O Lord) but leaue vs a seede, least Englande be made like vnto Sodome and Gomorre, when thy true Lothes be gone.

But what goe I about to mingle your myrth with my mournyng, and your iust ioy with my deserued sorowe? If I loued you in deede, as I haue pretended, I shoulde surely reioyce with you most hartily, & prayse God on your behalfe from the very bottome of my hart: I should prayse God day and night for your excellent election in and thorow his great mercy, and should geue hym most humble thankes for your vocation by his Gospell, and your true knowledge in the same: MarginaliaHe reioyceth for the honour of M, Bradfords Martyrdome.I should earnestly prayse hym for your sweete iustification, whereof you are most certaine by Gods grace and spirite, and should instantly pray vnto hym for your glorification, which shall shortly ensue: I shoulde reioyce and be glad to see you so dignified by the crowne of Martyrdome, and to be appoynted to that honour, to testifie his truth, and to seale it with your bloud: I shoulde highly extoll the Lord, who hath geuen you a glorious victorie ouer all your enemies, visible and inuisible, and hath geuen you grace and strength to finishe the Tower that you haue begunne to build. Finally, if I loued you, I should most hartily reioyce and be glad to see you deliuered from this body of sinne and vile pryson of the fleshe, and brought into that heauenly tabernacle where you shall be safely kept, and neuer offend hym more.

This and much more should I doo, if I had a good hart towardes God, or you his deare chylde. But (alas) I am an hypocrite, & doo seeke nothing but myne owne commodity. I would haue Gods euerlastyng prouidēce geue place to my peeuish wyll & purpose, although it were to the hynderance of his glory and your sweete commoditie. God forgeue me my horrible ingratitude, sinnes, & offences against hym, and good brother, doo you forgeue me my great negligence and vnthankefulnes towardes you, and henceforth I promise you, I wyl put my wyl to Gods wil, and pray that the same maye be fulfilled in you, so long as you be on this earth: and when you are taken hence, I wyll most hartily prayse the Lord for you, so long as I haue my being in this world. MarginaliaIohn Careles taketh his leaue of M. Bradford.Ah my deare hart, nowe I muste take my leaue of you, and as I thinke, my Vltimum vale in this lyfe, but in the lyfe to come I am right well assured we shall meeryly meete together, & that shortly I trust. And in taking of my leaue of you (my deare hart in the Lord) I shall desire you faithfully to remember al the sweete messages that the Lord our good God and most deare louing father hath sent you by me his most vnworthy seruaunt, whiche as they are moste true, so shal they be most truly accomplished vpon you eternally: and for the more assurance and certificate thereof to your godly conscience, he hath cōmaunded me to repete the same vnto you againe, in his owne name and word.

Therfore nowe geue eare and faythfull credence. MarginaliaTestimony of Gods spirite.Harken O ye heauens, and thou earth geue eare, and beare me witnes at the great day, that I doo here faythfully and truely the Lords message vnto his deare seruant,MarginaliaIohn Careles doth Gods message to Master Bradford. his singularly beloued and elect childe Iohn Bradford. Iohn Bradford, thou man so specially beloued of God, I pronounce & testifie vnto thee in the word and name of the Lord Iehoua, that al thy sinnes what soeuer they be, be they neuer so many, so greeuous, or so great, be fully and freely pardoned, released, & forgeuen thee, by the mercy of God in Iesus Christe thyne only Lord and sweet saueour, in whom thou doest vndoubtedly beleue. MarginaliaPower and practise of the keyes of the Gospell.Christe hath clensed thee with his bloud, and clothed thee with his righteousnes, and hath made thee in the sight of God his Father, without spot or wrinckle: so that when the fire doth his appoynted office, thou shalt be receiued (as a sweete burnt sacrifice) into heauen, where thou shalt ioyfully remaine in Gods presence for euer, as the true inheritour of his euerlasting kingdome, vnto þ^e whiche thou wast vndoubtedly predestinate & ordeined by the lords vnfallible purpose and decree, before the foundation of the

worlde was layd. And that this is most true that I haue sayd, I call the whole Trinitie, the almighty and eternall Maiestie of God the father, the sonne, and the holy ghost to my record at this present: whom I humbly beseech to confirme and stablishe in thee the true and liuely feelyng of the same, Amen. Selah.

Nowe with a meery hart and a ioyfull spirit, somthing mixed with lawfull teares I take my farewell of you, mine owne deare brother in the Lorde: who sende vs shortly a meery meetyng in his kingdome, that we maye both sing prayses together vnto hym with his holy Aungelles and blessed spirits for euer and euer. Farewel thou blessed of the Lord, farewell in Christ: depart vnto thy rest in the Lord: and pray for me, for Gods sake.

As I had made an ende of this simple letter, I hearde some comfort both of good Maister Philpots seruaunt and yours: but (alas) I doo scarcely beleue them. Well, I wyll hope in God, and pray al night that God wyll send me some comfort to morowe, and if the Lorde geue you sparyng to morow, let me heare foure wordes of comfort from you, for Gods sake. The blessing of God be with you now and for euer, Amen.

Yours for euer in the Lord Iesus, Iohn
Careles, liuyng in hope against hope.

In readyng this letter of Iohn Careles to M. Bradford, aboue prefixed, wherein he maketh so much mention of a certayne letter of his sent to hym, and of the greate exceedyng consolation, he receyued of the same, thou wylt wishe peraduenture (good louyng Reader) in thy mynde, to haue some sight also of the said letter of master Bradford. Wherin to satisfie thy desire, or rather to preuent thy petition, I haue hereunto annexed the same, to the entent thou mayest not onely vnderstand the contentes thereof, but also receyue fruit therof to thy consolation likewise. The purport of the letter here foloweth.

¶ Maister Bradford to Careles.  

Commentary     Close

This letter was first printed in 1570; it does not appear in Letters of the Martyrs. The preceding letter is Careless's answer to this letter.

MarginaliaA comfortable Letter of M. Bradford to Iohn Careles.ALmighty God our deare father, through and for the merites of his dearly beloued sonne Iesus Christ, be mercyful vnto vs, pardon vs our offences, and vnder the winges of his mercy he protect vs from al euyll, from henceforth and for euer, Amen.

Deare brother Careles, I hartily pray you to praye to God for me, for the pardon of my manyfolde sinnes and moste greeuous offences, whiche neede none other demonstration vnto you then this, namely that I haue behaued my selfe so negligently in aunswearing your godly triple letters, whiche are three witnesses against me. God lay not them nor none other thing to my charge to condemnation, though to correction, not my wyll but his wyll be done. Concernyng your request of absolution (my dearest brother) what shall I say, but euen as truth is, that the Lorde of all mercye, and Father of all comforte, MarginaliaPractise of the keyes of the Gospell.through the merites and mediation of his deare sonne thy onely Lorde and Saueour, hath clearely remitted and pardoned all thy offences what soeuer they be, that euer hitherto thou haste committed against his maiestie: and therefore he hath geuen to thee as to his childe (deare brother Iohn Careles) in token that thy sinnes are pardoned: he (I say) hath geuen vnto thee a penitent and beleuyng hart: that is, a harte which desireth to repent and beleue: For suche a one is taken of hym (he accepting the wyl for the deede) for a penitent and beleuing hart in deede.

Wherefore (my good brother) be meery, glad, and of good cheare, for the Lord hath taken away thy sinnes: thou shalt not dye. Go thy wayes: the Lord hath put away thy sinnes. The East is not so farre from the West, as the Lorde now hath put thy sinnes from thee. Looke how the heauēs be in comparison of the earth, so far hath his mercie preuailed towarde thee his deare childe, Iohn Careles, through Christ the beloued. Say therefore with Dauid: Prayse the Lord oh my soule, and all that is within me prayse his holy name: for he hath forgeuen thee al thy sinnes: as truely he hath. And hereof I desire to be a witnes. God make me worthy to heare from you the like true message for my self. Myne owne dearly beloued, you haue great cause to thanke God most hartily that hath geuen you such repentance and faith: the Lord increase the same in you and me a most miserable wretche, whose harte is harder then the Adamant stone, or els I could not thus long haue stayed from writing vnto you. If I liue, and may, I purpose and promise you to make amendes. Pray for me my most deare brother, I hartily beseech you, and forgeue me my long silence. God our father be with vs for euer, Amen.

Yours in the Lord, Iohn Bradford.