A Piteous Lamentation of the Miserable Estate of the Church, Letter 3 – Colophon
An other letter sent frō the same Iohn Careles to the selfe same woman.
¶The euerlasting peace of GOD in Iesus Christ, the continuall aide and strength, ioye and comfortes of his most puer, holy, & mighty spirit, with the encrease of faith and liuely felinges of his eternal mercies, be most effectuously wrought in your hart, and grauen in your mind, my deare frend and faithful louing sister K. E. to the full finishing of all the good workes which he hath most graciously begon in you, that the same (by al meanes) may be to the setting forth of Gods glorye, the commodity of his pore afflicted Church and to youre owne euerlastinge comforte in him. Amen
AS the dailye occasions whyche happen to me, deare sister in the lord, puttinge me in remembraunce of my mooste happy departure and final deliuerāce to be at hand, do moue my pore hart to much spiritual mirth and gladnes in the lord, euen so doth the daily remembrance of you, and other the deare sainctes of God (whom I shall leaue behynde mee) engender much sorow and sadnes, euen to my very soule, to se in what a miserable worlde you must remaine, subiect to our deserued plages bothe spirituall and tēporal. In respect wherof, as I daily make mention of you in my cotinual prayers, that God wil protect you vnderunder the wynges of hys mercy, from al things that may be hurtfull eyther to soule or bodye: so hauehave I thought it good, yea, & my very bounden duty, to write these few lines vntounto you, as well to comfort you, what soeuer crosse it shal please the Lorde to lay vpō you, as also to warne you to walke circumspectly, as the chylde of light, least at any time the darkenes should ouertake you, as it is like to doe those foolishe virgins, whiche hauehave let their lampes go out alredy, ye bridegromes cōming being so nigh at hand, as suerly it is not far hence, as it appeareth both by ye prophecies of the holy scriptures, & also by daily exāples, wherof we hauehave experience. God for his Christes sake geue vsus al grace diligently to watch and pray, that we maye be readye prepared for that longe desired daye. Amen. My deare sister K. cal to your remēbrance always the great louelove and mercifull kindnes that God your most deare louing father hathe from time to time extended vntounto you, speciallye in that he would vouchesafe to geue for you his owne only & dearly beloued son, in whome was and is all his whole pleasure and delighte, vntounto the verye death of the crosse, yea and that whē you were his very enemy, the chylde of wrath, the bonde seruaunt of Sathan, and a very fierbrand of hel, and should hauehave so remained for euer. Cō sider also, howe he hathe geuen you with his swete sonne, al thinges necessary either for bodye or soule, yea all that euer is in heauen and earth, and hath made you by him, heire vntounto himselfe, and owner and possessor of al that euer he hath. In consideratiō wherof, you ought so to louelove him againe, that nothinge should be able to seperate you from him: yea of very louelove only you ought to serue him in such holines and righteousnes, as is accept before him, all the dayes of youre life: and also to abstaine moste willinglye, from all thinges that be detestable in his sighte, what daunger so euer shoulde ensue to you for the same. But in dede, my dear hart, to be plaine with you, I doe heare to my great grief that the due consideration of this greate louelove and infinite mercy of god, hath not yet effectuously wrought al these aforesaid things in you, according to my lōng expectacion: but it is enformed me by credible persons▪ that you, notwithstanding the great louelove of God towards you, and the excellent knowledge he hath so graciouslye geuen you before many other, doe yet manye times defile your faith, or mariage garment, with comming into the companye of filthy idolaters, at the time of theyr Antechristian seruice. Trulye if it be so, it is a token that the great abundant bottomles louelove & mercy of God towardes you, hath not yet in suche sorte ben considered of you, that it hath (as it ought to hauehave done) swalowed vp all the vaine louelove of the worlde. Ah, where is true faith become, and liuely seling of Gods mercy, that were wont to make the children of god diligent to kepe Goddes commaundementes, and merilye to beare his crosse? But perchaunce you do not thinke it a breaking of Gods commaundementes, to goe to the Idols temple, and to bee present with the papistes at their supersticious seruice. &c. But god forbid you should be so ignorāt, after so many instructiōs, in so great & weightye a matter. For surely the vnknowen sicknes is most daungerous euermore, as experience teacheth. But I verily thinke, at the least wise I hope, that youre knoweledge is so great in these things, that the daunger in being partaker with the wicked, is not hid frō your eyes. Therfore your fault is so muche the greater, & the sorer punishmēt is due for the same. But my vndoubted trust is, that almighty God our most deare louinge father, wyll not leaue you in your weaknesse, but wil rayse you vp agayne, by true and earnest repentance, and geue you such grace and strength of his spirit, that henceforth you shalbe so far from cominge to anye of theyr abhominable superstition, that you shall be able well to persuade this bearer, and many other the sainctes of God from the same. I knowe deare harte that thys thinge which I requier of you, wil bryng a great crosse vntounto you, as well at the handes of your husband, as of many other your worldly frendes and foes. But let not that discourage you any thing at all, syth you are one of the chosen children of God, to whom hys crosse doth specially belonge. Let not tribulation for righteousnesse sake, seme a straunge thing vntounto you: but rather reioyce and be glad, that God will vouche you worthye of so great dignity. For trulye it is the greatest honor, that God can bringe his elect vntounto in this mortall life: I meane to make them his witnesses to ye world, and to make them worthye to suffer for his sake, which thinge is not permitted to the highest Angell in heauen: albeit I beleue they wolde more reioyce thereof, then in all the glorye they hauehave. Oh whye are we then so loth to come to this great promotiō, seing it is the verye ordinance of god vppon all his deare chyldren, as S. Paule affirmeth, saying: To you it is geuen not only that you should beleue in Iesus Christ, but also that you should suffer for his sake. Again he saith: all that will liue godlye in Christ Iesu, must suffer persecution. Oh what cause hauehave we to reioice, if it please God, by suffringes to make vsus some thing cōformable to the passions of our swete Christ, who fyrste suffred for vsus, and afterward entred into his glorye? Wee hauehave in thys world nothing so much to reioice in, as that we are made meete to be vnderunder the crosse with Chryst. For therby are we assured, not onlye that the glorious spirite of god resteth vponupon vsus, but also that we shall reign with Christe, and bee glorifyed together with him, who hathe testified with his owne mouth, that they be blessed which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake, for theirs (saieth he) is the kingedome of heauen: into the which we must also enter by manye tribulatiōs. Happy is he (saith christ) that endureth to thend.Apoc. 2. Be faithfull vntounto death (saith the holy ghoste) & I will geue thee a crowne of life. &c. But what mean I to make so long a circūstance vntounto you, my deare hart, who knoweth al these things as wel or better then I? Oh that you hadde the grace and strēgth to do al things accordinge to youre knowledge: I meane, concerning the fleing frō Idolatry, and suffering for the truth. As for al other things, I know you are vnspotted, praised be god for you. Oh that you durste pledge me of the same cup, (if need do requier) wherof the lord of our glory hath not refused himself to drinke before vsus, and hath left vsus an example to folow his fotesteps, that he might crowne vsus wyth his owne glorye, and most precious giftes. Oh lord helpe thy deare children that wold faine come vntounto the, and loke not narowly vpō our sins, which are the cause of oure long absence from thee, but couer theym for thy Christes sake, with the mantell of thy manifold mercies, whyche far surmounteth al thy workes, that we may not be ashamed, but reioyce at thy most glorious comming, ye which do thou hasten according to thy promise, for thy chosens sake. We hauehave deare sister, bene of longe season acquainted with this earthlye old man of ours to much, which is ful of sin, and presseth downe sore our vnderstāding, that it is needful for vsus to be tried throughe manye trybulations, that the rust therof myght be worne awaye, that we might be made mete vessels for the lordes owne vse, and be sanctifyed to honour. Happy is he that endureth chasticinge. Whyche blessing (my good sister) God offereth vntounto vsus at this present, yea, and him selfe also as our moste deare louinge father. Let vsus willingly embrace him therfore, and geue thankes vntounto his name, that hath triumphantly gottē victorye ouer al our ennemies, and is now pleading our cause on the right hand of God his father, in the kyngdome of heauen, where he kepeth possession for vsus. To whom if we direct oure eyes wyth a stedfast fayth, wee shal not nede to feare, neither death, synne, nor hell, for theyr whole power is taken awaye, and Christes righteousnes maketh aūswer for vsus. Yea he is wholy ours with al his merites, mercies and moste swete sufferinges, and we are his for euermore: so that we may boldly say, the lord is our helpe, and therfore we wyll not feare what man maye do vntounto vsus, for he is but fleshe, and his breath is in hys nostrels: but the strengthe of the lord, and the power of his word endureth for euer: vntounto the whyche let vsus stedfastly trust, & then shal we not be confounded. My deare frend & faithful sister K. thynke no vnkyndnes in me, that I write thus boldlye vntounto you: for verily it is of pure louelove and a true hart that I beare vntounto you, as I am most depely bound, yea double and treble. I hauehave plentifully reaped your temporal things, god recōpence you for it. And ought not I thē much more to sow vntounto you some of those spyritual thinges, wherewyth God hath blessed me? yes truly: and euerlastynge woe and damnation were most due and suer vntounto me, if I did it not. God for his christes sake, forgeue me my great neglygence in thys behalfe towardes you, and al the rest of hys deare children, whome I louelove in the lord, as mine owne soule, and thanke God most hartelye, that you do me likewyse, whych am most vnworthy of the same. God geue me the spirite of prayer, that I maye therewith supply some part of my duty towardes you: for verily I am farre in your debt, and so am like to die. But my suer trust is, that my good God, for whose sake I lose lyfe and goods, and al earthly commodityes, wyl abundantly recompence you wyth his blessyng, both spirituall and temporal, and in the ende bringe you vntounto me, in the place of perpetual ioy and quietnes, where we shal rest from al our labors, and remaine together for euermore. There shall we most perfectly know one another personally: thoughe in thys lyfe we are not like to doe so, for I am alredy proclaimed heretike at Paules crosse, I prayse god most hartily for it. For nowe I know I shal shortly be with him, for whose sake I am so called: and shalbe yet more solēnely ye sūday after Trinity sunday, doctor Harpesfield saith▪ I thanke him for his paines. For he hath geuen me good warning to prepare my selfe ready against the daye of slaughter: whiche time is not yet in their handes, for all their bragges and proud bostinges, but in the good wil & determinatiō of my most deare God, and louinge father. And right suer I am, that they (I meane my enemies) and if al the diuels in hell do helpe theym, can not shorten my life one minute of an howre, otherwyse then GOD hath appoynted, for his glory and my eternal profit. Therefore vponupon him wil I cast all my care, & be careles, according to my name, in spite of theym all, and tell them I will, when I come before them, that God doth laughe al their doinges to scorne, and shortlye wyll bringe all their counselles to naught, to their owne vtter confusion, if they be not conuerted. For whiche thing let vsus praye to him, whiche onelye is able to doe it, and wyl, when he seeth hys good time and pleasure. In ye meane space, the same LORDE geue vsus hys peace and pacience, with plentiful consolation and ioye in the holy ghost: who gouerne, guyds, lead and conduct vsus vntounto the very end. Thus yet once agayne I commit you vntounto Goddes moste mercyfull defence, who euer hauehave you, and all youres, in hys blessed keping. The blessinge of God be wyth you euermore. Amen.
youres for euer moste vnfeynedlye, Iohn Careles, prysoner of the Lorde, at all tymes abidinge his most merciful wyl & pleasure. Pray, pray, pray.
FINIS.
Imprinted at London by VVillyam Powell, dwelling in Fletestrete, at the signe of the George, nere to Sainct Dunstons Church.
End of the text · Nicholas Ridley, A Piteous Lamentation of the Miserable Estate of the Church (1566)