Marginalia1556. Iuly.the glorious crowne of victorie, and in the same triumphe ouer al your enimies for euermore, Amen.

I can not expresse the exceeding great ioy and consolation of my poore hart, considering the merueilous workes of God most graciously wrought vpon you, not only in prouyng you and trying your faith by his great & huge crosses both inwardly & outwardly, but also in geuing you so great consolation & constancie in the middes of the same. Faithful is God and true of his promises, who hath said: MarginaliaGods children neuer tempted aboue their strength.That he wil neuer suffer his chosen children to be tempted 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 token of Gods euerlasting loue and fauour in Iesus Christ, as euer I perceiued in any man. In respect wherof I doo euen with my hart, loue, honour, & reuerence you, beseeching God for his glorious names sake in the bowels and bloud of our Lord & only Saueour Iesus Christ, to finish his good worke in you, as I doubt not but he wyll doo, according to his vnfallible promises: MarginaliaHe confirmeth W. Tymmes being condemned to the day of his Martyrdome.yea I am well assured thereof, for as much as you haue so effectually receyued his holy spirit into your hart, as a pleadge and sure seale of your eternall redemption, and a testimonie of your adoption in Christ Iesu. For which cause Satan so sore enuieth you, that he hath nowe bent al his fierce Ordinance against your thinking therby vtterly to destroy þ^e inuincible fort of your faith founded most firmely vppon the vnmoueable Rocke Christ, against the which, the deuyl, sinne, nor yet hel gates shal neuer preuaile. Selah.

Therefore myne owne bowels in the Lord, be not discomforted for this your conflict, whiche doubtles shal greatlye encrease your crowne of glorye, triumphe, and victorie: but take a good hart vnto you, and buckle boldly with Sathan both in hym selfe and in his subtile members. MarginaliaIt is the nature of Gods children to be tempted.It is the very Diuine ordinance of God, that all his regenerate children shalbe tempted, proued, and tryed: as we see by the example of our Saueour Christe, MarginaliaMath. 4.who as soone as he was baptised, was strayt wayes led of the holy Ghost into the wyldernes, there to be tempted of the deuyll. But there got he such a glorious victorie of Satan, that he coulde neuer since finally preuaile against any of his poore members, but in euery assault that he maketh either inwardly or outwardly he getteth a foyle and taketh shame: so that now he rageth with all the spite possible. specially because he knoweth his tyme is but shorte. MarginaliaIames. 4.S. Iames testifieth that he is but a very coward, that wyl soone flee, if he be faithfully resisted. MarginaliaSathans tempting tooles.And as for his tempting tooles, the Lord hath made thē manifest vnto vs, so that he can not deceiue vs, though he assault vs: for as S. Paul saith:Marginalia2. Cor. 2. His very thoughts are not vnknowen to vs, as it doth in you largely appeare, praysed 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, he hathe but two wayes, MarginaliaTwo principall pellets of Sathan wherby he assaulteth Gods seruauntes.or two peeces of Ordinaunce to shoote at you, with the whiche he can not hurte you, because you haue two Bulwarkes to defende you. The firste of these terrible Gunnes that Satan hath shot at you, is the very same that he continually shooteth at me, that is to say, Marginalia1. Feare of sinne & death, and infidelitie of Gods promises.feare, and infidelitie: for the vglesomenes of of death, and horrour of my sinnes, whiche be so many, greeuous, and great. MarginaliaRemedye agaynst feare, and infidelitye.But this pellet is easily put away w^t þ^e surer shield of fayth in the moste precious death and bloudshedding of our deare Lord and onely Saueour Iesus Christ, whom the father hath geuen vnto vs wholy to be ours for euermore, & with him hath geuē vs al things, as Paul saith: so that though we be neuer so great sinners, yet Christe is made vnto vs holynes, righteousnes, and iustification. He hath clothed vs with all his merites, mercies, and most sweete sufferinges, and hath takē vnto hym al our miserie, wretchednes sinne, and infirmitie. So that if any should nowe be condemned for the same, it must needes be Iesus Christe, which hath taken them vpon hym. But in deede he hath made satisfaction for thē to the vttermost iote: so that for his sake they shal neuer be imputed to vs, if they were a thousand tymes so many moe as they be. This doo you moste effectuously feele and knowe, deare brother, a great deale better then I can tel you, blessed be God therfore.

And nowe Satan, seeing that he can not preuaile with his boystrous batterie againste this Bulwarke of fayth, whiche doth so quenche al his fiery dartes, that they can doo you no harme, but rather doo you good seruice to caste you downe vnder the mighty hande of GOD, that he maye take you vp by his onely grace and power, and so you may render hym all the glory by Iesus Christe, (whiche thing the enimie can not abide in no wise) MarginaliaThe second pellet of Sathan is confidence and trust in our owne good workes.therefore he shooteth of his other Peece most pestilent, to prouoke you to put some part of your trust and confidence in your selfe, and in your

owne holynes and righteousnes, that you might that waye robbe God of his glory, Christ of his honour and dignitie of his death. But blessed be the Lord God, MarginaliaRemedie against the 2. Pellet.you haue also a full strong Bulwarke to beate backe this pestiferous Pellet also, euen the pure lawe of God, whiche proueth the best of vs all damnable sinners in the sight of God, if he woulde enter into iudgement with vs, according to the seueritie of the same, MarginaliaEsay. 64.and that euen our best workes are polluted and defiled in such sort, as the Prophet describeth them. With which maner of speaking, our free wil Phariseis are much offended: for it felleth al mans righteousnes to the ground, (I had like to haue said, to the bottome of hell) and extolleth onely the righteousnes of Iesus Christ, which is allowed before God, and is freely geuen to all those that firmely beleue, as blessed be God, you doo.

Ah my good brother Tymmes, Sathan hath put his hande in a wrong boxe when he begynneth to tempt you, either to vaine glory or mistruste: for you are an olde beaten souldier, and haue had good experience of these maner of temptations, both by your selfe and other, whom you know wel were the beloued of God. Be of good cheare therfore, deare hart, be of good cheare, MarginaliaSathan ouercome in Gods Sainctes.for nowe Satan hath wrought al his malice: he hath done all that he can, and hath shot of all his last Peeces, wherewith he had thought to haue done moste mischiefe: but nowe he seeth he can not preuaile (the strong tower of your faith being so inuincible) he wil plucke vp all his tentes, and get him to some other place to practise the like assaultes: and then wil the Aungels of God come and minister vnto you þ^e most sweete & heauenly cōsolations of the holy ghost. To him therefore who is able to doo exceeding abundantly aboue all that euer we can desire or thinke, I doo most hartily commit you, with al the rest of your godly prison felowes, who comfort, strengthen, and defende you with his grace and mighty operation of his holy spirite, as he hath hitherto done, that you hauing a most glorious victorie ouer the subtile Serpent and all his wicked seede, maye also receiue the crowne of glory and immortalitie prepared for you before the foundations of the worlde were laide, and is so surely kept for you in the handes of hym whose promise is vnfallible, that the Deuyl, sinne, death, or hell shall neuer be able to depriue you of the same. The blessing of God be with you now & for euermore. Amen. Pray pray, pray for me.

Your owne for euer, Iohn Careles.

¶ To my good sister M. C.  

Commentary     Close

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 Iesus Christ, the eternal comfortes of his sweete spirit, be with you my deare and faithful sister, to the ful 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 hym, Amen.

My louing and faithfull Sister in the Lorde, I thanke you for all your louing kindnes shewed vnto me, but specially for your godly remembraunce of me in your feruent and faithfull prayers, and for your most godly and comfortable letter, whereby you doo not onely much encrease my ioy and comfort, but also put me in remembraunce of my duetie towardes you.

Blessed be the Lorde our God, which of his great mercye hath so beautified his Churche in these our dayes, that euen vnto many godly women MarginaliaGods great gifts in women.he hath geuen most excellent giftes of knowledge and vnderstanding of his truth, so that they are not onely well able to enforme their owne consciences in al things necessarie to saluation, but also most sweetly to comfort their sorowfull brethren & sisters that susteine any trouble for the testimonie of Gods truth, yea and that which is more, euen in the middest of their great conflictes of conscience. Of whiche moste happy number of godly and vertuous women, my deare hart, you are one, and that of the chiefest, being plentifully endued with the gifts of Gods most gracious spirit, as it doth ful wel appere in your daily doinges, God onely haue the prayse therfore.

MarginaliaNote how God sometymes geueth comfort by weaker vessels.For as much thē as God hath geuē you þ^e gift to write, I shall moste hartily desire you to let me heare from you sometymes, be it neuer so litle, for truely I take great comfort and courage thereby, specially in my poore conscience, whiche is sore assaulted of subtile Satan, and in a manner oppressed of my sinnes. Pray, deare Sister, that GOD maye geue me true, hartie, and earnest repentaunce, and increase my faith, for they are both the good gyftes of God onely, and farre passe the reache of my power, to take at my pleasure.

Therefore deare Sister, if you will helpe me to begge the same of our deare louing father, I am sure that he both can and wil geue them me in his good tyme. MarginaliaIohn Careles nothing touched with feare of death or of the fire, but onely of his sinnes.And as for the feare of death or terrour of the fire, I moste hartily thanke