A Piteous Lamentation of the Miserable Estate of the Church, Letter 2
Another letter of the same Iohn Careles sent to the same party.
¶Grace, mercy and peace, from god our eternall and most deere louing father, wyth quyetnes of conscience in our swete lorde and only sauiour Iesus Chryst, with increase of knowledge, health, strength, and spiritual ioy in and through the mighty operatiō of the holy ghost our euerlastinge comforte, be wyth you nowe and euer, my moste dere & louing sister K. E. to the good perfourmance of all that he hathe so graciously begon in you, in such sort as may be moste to his glory…, the comforte of hys pore afflicted churche, and to the eucrease of your owne euerlastinge ioy in him. Amen.
AS I am by no meanes hable, (my deere harte in the lord) in the leaste pointe to recompence anye part of the greate louelove, faithfull frēdship & manifolde kindnes, that you hauehave so largely extended vntounto me: euen so am I not able to declare, how much, and how depelye I am continuallye bound to geue god most hūble praise and continuall thankes for you, and on your behalfe. Before God I speak it, I can not with pen expresse what ioy and comforte my poore afflycted hart hath conceyued of you, and that in mo respectes then I wyll or can now declare. Ah my deare syster K. whose humble hart and lowly spirit doth to me presētly appeare in youre most godly and louing letter, blessed are you, and all such meke handmaides of ye lord. For doubtles you shall be eralted in that day, when ye proud persones of the world, and hygh minded Pharaseys shall be cast downe. God for euermore bee blessed, who hath geuen you (contrary to nature) such a meke & humble hart. For vpō al such (he saith himself) his holy spirit shal rest, which promis is ful wel verified on you: which holy spirite of his, is the good guide and leader, yea the only teacher and instructer of all the lordes deare electe children. And as it hath trulye taught you to caste your selfe down (as it is most conuenient) euen so will it rayse you vp agayne (as I doubt not but it hath already done, and set you vppon a high rocke of stone, wheron you shal stand sure, and dwell safe for euer: I meane vppon Iesus Christe, on whom your fayth is fyrmely built, so that the gates of death or hell, shall not finallye preuaile against the same. Selah. But as I do righte well on your parte admit the similytude of ye faythful wife of Cana, which came to Christ for to hauehave her daughters helth, wyth whō you may be well compared, bothe for fayth, and humble mekenes: euen so I wyll in no wyse allowe, that you should so much exalt me (a moste vyle wretched sinner, yea slime, earth, and asshes, and a verye lumpe of Adams dunge) as though… there were some thinge in me, in respecte wherof you should thinke your selfe vnworthy to call me brother, Alas, what am I (in respecte of my selfe) but a depe and a damnable sinner, yea suche a one, as daily doth deserue not only this long enprisonment, and death which now knocketh at my dore, but also Gehenna and hell fier, if God for his sonne Christe his sake did not forgeue the same, I meane my sin, which partlye hath prouoked God to plage all thys Realme. Therfore my deare sister, if you thinke your self vnworthy to cal me brother, let it be only in respecte that I am moste vnworthye of that name. Otherwise you must consider, that you maye (and I trust dailye do) boldly call Iesus Chryst the eternall sonne of God your most deare and louing brother, who by his death hath brought you life, and hath made you the childe of God, and felowe heyre with him, of the kingdome of heauē, whither he is also ascended for your possession takinge, and hath thereto left with you in pledge his pure and holy spirit, as a sure earnest penye of the same, wherwith I am right suer we are bothe sealed vntounto the daye of redemption. That spirite certifyeth our spirit, that we are the true adopted sonnes of God, and therefore we maye boldlye call him deare father: then must I nedes be youre brother, and so I pray you cal mee: god make me worthy of that name. And where as you deare hart, do desier to be refreshed wyth the fruitfull water of life, which floweth forth of the holye ghost, the fountain of al grace: I say with Christ that blessed is your hungry soule, for it shall be wel satisfied with that heauenly manna, which… maketh the eaters thereof to liue for euermore. For God hath geuen you his spirite, which hath taught, and doth still teach you, what you ought to beleue, and how to lyue according to the same, as hitherto you hauehave done, youre light so shininge before men, that god hath ben and is greatlye glorified by the same. Therefore be you certaine & suer, that God will likewise glorify you with him self in euerlasting glory. For as ye lord did know and elect you for his before the foundation of the worlde was laydi…: so hath he called you by the syncere preaching of his holy gospel. And as he hath truly called you, so doeth he moste mercyfullye iustifye you of his free grace and fauor. And as he doeth iustifye you, or repute you righteous in his syghte: so wyll he glorify you with a crowne of immortality in his kingdome for euer. Read the eight to the Romaines for your consolation: and put your truste in God, who careth for you, and will kepe you in his safe custody, free from all the assaultes of your cruel aduersarie: thoughe in hys myscheuous members he doe transforme himself into an aungel of light, moste craftelye to deceaue, yea …uen the very elect, if it were possible for him so to do. I perceaue dear sister …k. that you hauehave met wt some of the greuous wolues, whych are fearslye entred in amongest the sely sheepe of Christ to scatter them. I knowe well that you hauehave bene sore assaulted of the Papistes. But I am sure they shall not preuayle agaynst you. For their cruel tyranny and all the rest of their diuelyshe doinges, is so directly against the word of God in all poyntes, that they can not beguyle you thoughe they woulde neuer so fayne. Perchaunce you hauehave also bene troubled with oure spronge vp heretykes the Arrians and Anabaptistes. God keepe you and all hys deare chyldren forth of theyr wycked companye: for verily they are a crafty kinde of men, and many a gentle harte and symple soule, they do full sore abuse, & depely deceyue, bryngyng them far from the sincere fayth of Christe, and from the pure vnderstanding of his holy word, though in their outward appearance they would seme as holy as any flatteryng frier. If any such come about you to perswade you from that euerlasting truth, which was taught you in the dayes of oure late good kynge Edwarde, by those worthy witnesses whych hauehave sealed ye same wyth their bloud: let thē not come wythin your dores, neither bid thē once god spede, If I were sure that any suche blynde prophetes did go about to lead you in to the dike of darknes, I wold take a litle more paine for your sake. I hauehave sente vntounto my good brother Henry Iones of Witney, a true and christiā confession of my faith, the whiche I would wishe you to reade, and in all points to be ruled thereby. My good brother Richard Brice will help you to it well inough: I hauehave spoken to him and to my brother Henrye also. Ah deare sister, these be the daungerous dayes, in which Christ did prophecye, and Paule, and Peter also, that manye false Prophetes shoulde appeare, & bring in damnable sectes, euen deniyng the lorde that boughte them, as these diuelishe Arrians do, in denying Iesus Christ to be the ternall son of God, of one substance and equal with the father. But my deare hart in the lord be of good chere. For though this tyme of darkenes, be neuer so daungerous to the cage of vncleane and hatefull birdes, that can not abide the light, that is to say, the congregation of Sathan whiche had no lust to beleue the truth, and therfore God hath sent them stronge delusion to beleue lyes: yet the sure grounde of Ged, remayneth still, and hath his seale, which is the spirite of trueth: The lord knoweth them that are his, and hath committed them vntounto Christe his keping, who will lose nothinge of that whiche his father hath geuen hym, but will raise it vp at the last day. yea for his chosē sake, the Lorde hath saide, these sorowful dayes shalbe shortned, of which most happy number, whose names are registred in the booke of life, my firme faith is, that you are one, as by your stedfast faith, and fruits of the same, it doth appeare. And wheras you say that my simple letters hauehave bene a stay and comfort to you, I am moste glad therof, & do most hartely prayse God therfore: that God of his greate mercy will vse me poore miser of the worlde, as his instrument or meane to doe good to anye one of hys deare saincts. And I do moste hartely desier you to forgeue mee my great neglygence towardes you, in that I hauehave not more oftner written letters to you, seing that you do so well esteme them as you do. But if god spare me life, I wyll be a littell more diligent to write vntounto you, then heretofore I hauehave bene. And as for my pore prayer, as you hauehave bene, so shal you continually be sure of it. I truste you doe also remember me in youres, as your large and louing dedes do declare no lesse. Ah good syster what doe you meane to sende me fo rich a token. Alas you make me sory to se how carefull you are for me, and what greate cost you hauehave bestowed vppon me a most vnprofitable member in Christes church. But verily I do perceiue whereaboute you go. You are minded to bring God a great deale into your debt, and to put your money vntounto a godly vsury, according to the sainge of the wise man: He that hath pitye vponupon the pore (saith he) lendeth vntounto the lord, and loke what he laieth out, it shalbe paid him againe. The lorde recompence your pitiful hert, which is so careful for the children of God in the time of their captiuity. God be blessed who hath made you so chereful in geuinge, and diligent in well …ing, for verely the time is at hand, that you shal reap without ceasing, the fruit of eternall life. Therfore be of good chere, for they that now sow their good sede with teares, shal thē reap their full sheues with gladnes, and god shal wipe al teares frō their eyes for euer. Cast all your care vponupon the lord, and commit your soule and body vntounto him as vntounto a faithful creator: for doubtles deare sister, he cō tinuallye kepeth you, and careth for you. The moste and principall thing that God requireth of you, is, that you be fullye perswaded, that he careth for you, and that he is your god and most deare louinge father, and wilbe so for euer. Without this faith and true perswasion, you can not please him, you can not commit and betake your selfe wholye vntounto hym, you can not truly feare him, or louelove him in dede, you can not call vppon him, or hartely pray vntounto him. Therfore let this be your alone and continuall endeuor, to be confirmed more and more of this, that God is youre most beare louinge faher, throughe▪ Iesus Christ, that he hath a most tē der care ouer you and for you, as alwaies he hath had, and alwais wil hauehave, both in soule and body, for this lyfe and for eternall lyfe, howsoeuer thinges appeare and seme vntounto you. According as you beleue, so shal it be vntounto you, and as you think God wil bee vntounto you, so shall you fele hym: Think therfore swetelye of the lorde and his goodnes, and pray for the encrease of faith, whiche God graunte vntounto vsus both for his mercies sake. Amen. Thus, most deare and faithfull sister, for this time I make an ende, commyttinge you and all yours, to Goddes most mercifull defence, who blesse, kepe, and preserue you, nowe and …or euermore Amen. Fare you well in Christ good sister.
your pore brother and daily Orator Thou Careles prisoner of the Lorde at al time abyding hys most merciful wil and plesure. pray, pray.