Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 39 · Letter 14
An other letter of Iohn Careles, to a certaine godly faithfull sister, by the name of E.K.
THe grace and free mercy of God in Iesus Christ the sweete consolations of the holy Ghost,An other letter of Iohn Careles to a godly christian woman. the guide of all Gods deare children, he with you, strengthen and comfort you my dearely beloued sweete sister E.K. now and euer. Amen.
Albeit, my dearely beloued sister in Christe, that as yet wee did neuer see one an other personally to any knowledge, yet by the vertuous reporte that I hauehave hearde of you, and also by the large louing token that I hauehave receiued from you, mee thincke that I do euen presently see you, and behold your person, fa…thfully walking in the fear and louelove of God, ioying and reioycing with you in the spirite, as thoughe we were sweetely talking together of Christes veritie. The Lord God doe I humbly beseeche in the bowels and bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe, that he wil strengthen vsus both with hys holy and mighty spirit, that we may constantly continue in the confession of his truthe vntounto the ende: that like as we now see one an other presently in spirite, we may also see one an other personally in the glorious presence of God and his holy Aungels, where vndoubtedly, we shall know one an others personage, to oure great ioy, felicitye, and endlesse comfort.
And now therfore deare sister K be strong in the Lorde our God, for doubtlesse the time of triall is at hand:Preparation to the Crosse. a great persecution with cruell murthering of Gods deare Saintes is like to be very shortly in this wofull wicked Realme of Englande. Therefore deare sister, for the louelove of God, prepare you to the Crosse with all diligence, and make your selfe ready to die with Christ, that you may also liue with him for euer. There is no remedye, if you will be Christes Disciple, you must needes take vppe youre crosse and followe him, for the Disciple must not looke to be aboue his maister, nor the seruant to be better intreated then his Lord. If we were of the worlde (good sister) no doubt, the world woulde louelove vsus. But for as much as Christe hath chosen vsus out of the worlde, to serue God in spirite and veritie, lette vsus be wel assured the worlde will hate vsus and persecute vsus, as it hath done our Lorde and maister Christ. But yet let vsus be of good cheare, for Christe hath ouercome the worlde. The paine is but shorte that we can feele heere, but the pleasure is perpetuall that wee shall feele elsewhere.
Let vsus set before vsus the example of Christe, which abode the Crosse and despised the shame in respecte of the ioy that was set before him:Consolation vnderunder the Crosse. Euen so let vsus consider for whose sake we suffer, whose cause we defend, and what glorious reward we shall hauehave at the day of our victory, & then doubtles the consolation of these things will make sweete all our suffringes, & soone swallowe vp all the sorrowes that we are sow…ed in for Gods sake. I coulde recite diuers textes of the Scriptures to confirme this pointe. But I neede not, for I am well assured that you do knowe them most perfectly alreadye The Lorde geue you strength and assist you with his holy spirite, that you may continually walke in all pointes according to your godly knowledge: And then shall you not doe as the moste parte of our Gospellers doe nowe adaies, the more is the pitie.
There are a greate manye in Englande,Agaynst Massing Gospellers. that doe perfectlye knowe, that the Idolatrous Masse is abhominable, Deuelishe, and detestable in the sight of God. And yet alasse, they be not afrayde to pollute and defile theyr bodyes, whych oughte to be the temples of the holy Ghoste, with being present at it, so sinning against God and theyr owne conscience.
But dere sister K. do you flie from it, both in body & soule, as you would flie from the very Deuill himselfe. Drinke not of the whore of Babylons cuppe by no meanes,Exhortation to flye from the Masse. for it will infecte the body, and poyson the soule. Be not partakers of her sinnes (sayth the Aungell) least you be partakers of the plagues that shortly shall be powred vppon her. O what an aray is this? that so many that know Gods truth, wil nowe tourne againe and defile them selues in the filthy puddle of antichristes stinking religion? They goe about to saue theyr liues wyth their dowble dissimulation: but doubtlesse, they shall loose euerlastinge life by it, if they doe not repent in time, and tourne vntounto the Lorde. But deare sister, my trust is, that you doe vtterly abhorre the comming to anye such thyng. I hope that you wil not by any meanes turne backe into Egypt nowe, but that you will boldly venter throughe the wildernesse of trouble and persecution, that you may come into the lande that floweth with all kinde of heauenly pleasures and ioyfull delectations, and possesse the same for euer.
Lette vsus consider, howe that eueryevery one of vsus doeth owe vntounto God a death by nature, and howe soone the Lord wil require it of vsus, we knowe not. O howe happye are we then, if God of hys goodnesse appoynt vsus to pay natures dette wyth sufferyng for hys trueth and Gospels sake, and so making vsus his faithfull witnesses wyth the Prophetes, Apostles, Martyrs, and Confessours, yea wyth his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christe, to whome he doeth heere begin to fashion vsus lyke in suffering, that we myght be like hym also in glory. Thus my dearely beloued sister, I hauehave ben bold to trouble you a little with my rude & simple letter, being made in hast as it doth appeare. Yet I desire you to take it in good woorthe, as a token of my poore zeale vntounto you, and to accept my good will. And if it please God to spa…e me life and libertye, I trust heereafter to wryte vntounto you more largely. Fare yee well deare sister E.K. the Lorde blesse you and all yours, and powre vponupon you the heauenly dewe of his grace. The Lorde endue you wyth plentifull knowledge of hys verity, and fill you with hys holy and mighty spirite, that you may continuallye reioyce in the comfortes of the same nowe and euer, Amen. Pray, pray, pray, with stedfast faith.
Your daily Oratour Iohn Careles, prisoner of the Lord.
¶In the letters of William Tymmes, ye heard before, page 1897. much mention made of Agnes Glascock. Thys Agnes Glascocke, through infirmity, and her husbandes perswasion, was allured to goe to Masse. For whyche cause shee falling in great sorrow and repentance was raised vppe againe by the comfortable Letters of William Tymmes and Iohn Careles, as before you maye reade, and after that was constante in the syncere profession of the verity, and in danger for the same of persecution: vntounto whome Iohn Careles wryteth therefore thys letter as followeth.