Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 39 · Letter 3 – Letter 4
*To my good Brother Mayster Iohn Bradford.
THe peace of God in Iesus Christ the eternall comforte of his sweete spirite,A sweete letter of Iohn Careles to M. Bradford, a little before his Martirdome. which hath surely sealed you vntounto eternal saluation, be with you and strengthen you in your ioyfull iourney towardes the celestiall Hierusalem (my deare frend and most faythfull brother Maister Bradford) to the setting forth of Gods glory, and to your eternall ioy in Christ, Amen.
Euer since that good M. Philpot shewed me your last letter (my deare hart in the Lord) I hauehave cōtinued in great heauines and perplexity: not for any hurt or discommodity that I can perceiue comming towardes you, vntounto whō doubtlesse, death is made life and great felicity: but for the great losse that Gods Churche here in Englande shall sustaine by the taking away of so godly, worthy,He mourneth for the losse and lacke of M. Bradford in the Church. and necessary an instrument, as the Lorde hath made you to be. Oh that my life and a thousand such wretched liues mo might go for yours. Oh, why doth God suffer me and such other Caterpillers to liue, that can doe nothing but consume the almes of the church, and take away you so worthy a workman & laborer in the Lordes vineyard? But wo be to our sinnes & great vnthankfulnes, whiche is the greatest cause of the taking away of such worthy instrumētes of God, as shoulde set forth his glory, & instruct his people. If we had bene thākfull vntounto God for ye good ministers of his word, we had not bene so soone depriued both of it and them. The Lord forgeue our great ingratitude & sinnes, and geue vsus true repentaunce and fayth, & hold his hand of mercy ouer vsus, for his deare sonne Christes sake. Take not awaye all thy true preachers forth of this realme (O Lord) but leaue vsus a seede, least England be made like vntounto Sodome and Gomorre, when thy true Lothes be gone.
But what goe I aboute to mingle your myrthe wyth my mourning, and your iust ioy with my deserued sorow? If I loued you in deede, as I hauehave pretended, I shoulde surely reioyce with you most hartily, & praise god on your behalfe from the very bottome of my hart: I should prayse God day and night for your excellēt election in & through his great mercy,He reioyceth for the honour of M. Bradfords Martyrdome. and should geue him most humble thākes for your vocation by his Gospell, & your true knowledge in the same: I should earnestly prayse him for your sweete iustification, wherof you are most certayne by Gods grace and spirite, & should instantly pray vntounto him for your glorification, which shall shortly ensue: I should reioyce and be glad to see you so dignifyed by the crowne of Martyrdome, and to be appoynted to that honour, to testify hys truth, and to seale it with your bloud: I should highly extoll the Lord, who hath geuen you a glorious victory euer al your enemies, visible and inuisible, and hath geuen you grace and strength to finish the Tower that you hauehave begunne to build. Finally, if I loued you, I should most hartily reioice and be glad to see you deliuered from this body of sinne and vile prison of the fleshe, and brought into that heauenly tabernacle where you shal be safely kept, and neuer offend him more.
This and much more should I do, if I had a good hart towardes God, or you his deare childe. But (alas) I am an hypocrite, & do seeke nothing but mine owne commodity. I would hauehave gods euerlasting prouidēce geue place to my peeuish will & purpose, although it were to the hinderance of his glory and your sweet commodity. God forgeue me my horrible ingratitude, sinnes & offēces agaynst him, and good brother, do you forgeue me my great negligence and vnthankfulnes towards you, and henceforth I promise you, I will put my will to Gods wil, & pray that the same may be fulfilled in you, so long as you be on this earth: and when you are taken hence, I will most hartely prayse the Lord for you, so lōg as I hauehave my being in this world. Ah my deare hart, nowe I muste take my leaue of you, and as I thinke, my Vltimum vale in this lyfe,Iohn Careles taketh his lea…e of M. Bradford. but in the life to come I am righte well assured we shall merilye meete together, & that shortly I trust. And in taking of my leue of you (my deare hart in the Lord) I shall desire you faythfully to remēber all the sweet messages that the Lord our good God & most deare louing father hath sent you by me his most vnworthy seruaunt, which as they are moste true, so shall they be most truly accōplished vponupon you eternally: and for the more assurance and certificate thereof to your godly cōscience, he hath cōmaunded me to repeat the same vntounto you agayne, in his owne name and word.
Therfore now geue eare and faithfull credence. Harken O ye heauens,Testimony of Gods spirite. and thou earth geue eare, and beare me witnes at the great day, that I do here faythfully and truly the lordes message vntounto his dear seruant, his singularly beloued and elect childe Iohn Bradford. Iohn Bradford, thou man so specially beloued of God,Iohn Careles doth Gods message to Master Bradford. I pronoūce & testify vntounto thee in the word & name of the Lord Iehoua, that all thy sinnes whatsoeuer they be, be they neuer so many, so grieuous, or so great, be fully & freely pardoned, released & forgeuen thee, by the mercy of God in Iesus Christ thyne onelyonly Lord & sweet sauiour,Power and practise of the keyes of the Gospell. in whom thou doest vndoubtedly beleue. Christ hath cleansed thee with his bloud, and clothed thee with his righteousnes, and hath made thee in the sight of God his father, without spotte or wrinckle: so that when the fire doth his appoynted office, thou shalt be receyued (as a sweete burnt sacrifice) into heauen, where thou shalt ioyfully remayn in Gods presence for euer, as ye true inheritor of his euerlasting kingdome, vntounto yt whiche yt wast vndoubtedly predestinate & ordeined by the Lords vnfallible purpose and decree, before the foundation of the worlde was layde. And that this is most true that I hauehave sayd, I call the whole Trinity, the almighty and eternall maiesty of God the father, the sonne, and the holy ghost to my record at this present: whom I humbly beseech to confirme and stablish in thee the true and liuelye feeling of the same. Amen. Selah.
Now with a mery hart and a ioyfull spirit, something mixed with lawful teares. I take my farewel of you, mine owne deare brother in the Lorde: who sende vsus shortly a merye meeting in his kingdome, that we maye both sing prayses together vntounto him with hys holy Aungelles and blessed spirites for euer & euer. Farewel thou blessed of the Lord, farewell in Christ: depart vntounto thy rest in the Lorde: 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 seruant and yours: but (alas) I doe scarcely beleue them. Well I wyll hope in God, & pray all night that God will send me some comfort to morrowe, and if the Lorde geue you sparing to morow, let me heare foure words 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, liuing in hope agaynst hope.
In reading this letter of Iohn Careles to M. Bradford aboue prefixed, wherein he maketh so much mētion of a certayne letter of his sent to him, and of the great exceeding consolation, he receiued of the same, thou wilt wishe peraduenture (good louing Reader) in thy mynd, to hauehave some sight also of the sayd Letter of M. Bradford. Wherein to satisfy thy desire, or rather to preuent thy petition, I hauehave hereunto annexed the same, to the entent thou mayest not onelyonly vnderstand the contentes therof, but also receiue fruit therof to thy cōsolation likewise. The purport of the letter here foloweth.
¶Mayster Bradford to Careles.
A comfortable letter of M. Bradford to Iohn Careles.ALmighty God our deare father, through and for the merits of his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ, be mercifull vntounto vsus, pardon vsus our offences, & vnderunder the winges of his mercy he protect vsus from all euill, from henceforth and for euer. Amen.
Deare brother Careles, I hartely pray you to pray to GOD for me, for the pardon of my manifold sinnes and most grieuous offences, whiche neede none other demonstration vntounto you then this, namely that I hauehave behaued my selfe so negligently in aunswering your godly triple letters, whiche are three witnesses agaynst me. God lay not them nor none other thing to my charge to condemnation, though to correction, not my will but his wil be done.Practise of the keyes of the Gospell. Concerning your request of absolution (my dearest brother) what shall I saye, but euen as trueth is, that the Lorde of all mercy, and Father of all comfort, through the merites and mediation of his deare sonne thy onelyonly Lord and Sauiour, hath clearely remitted and pardoned all thy offences whatsoeuer they bee, that euer hitherto thou hast committed agaynst his maiesty: 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 vntounto thee a penitent and beleuing hart: that is, a hart which desireth to repent and beleue: For suche a one is taken of him (he accepting the will for the deede) for a penitent and beleuing hart in deed.
Wherefore (my good Brother) be mery, gladde, and of good cheare, for the Lorde hath taken away thy sinnes: thou shalt not dye. Goe thy wayes: the Lord hath put away thy sinnes. The East is not so farre from the West, as the Lord now hath put thy sinnes from thee. Looke how the heauēs be in comparison of the earth, so far hath his mercy preuayled towardes thee his deare chylde, Iohn Careles, through Christ the beloued. Say therfore with Dauid: prayse the Lord oh my soule, and all that is within me prayse his holy name? for he hath forgeuen thee all thy sinnes: as truely he hath. And hereof I desire to be a witnesse. God make me worthy to heare from you the like true message for my selfe. Myne owne dearly beloued, you hauehave great cause to thanke God moste hartily that he hath geuen you such repētance and fayth: the lord encrease the same in you and me a most miserable wretch, whose hart is harder then the Adamant stone, or elles I coulde not thus long hauehave stayed from writing vntounto you. If I liue and may, I purpose and promise you to make amendes. Praye for me my moste deare brother, I hartely beseech you, and forgeue me my long silence. God our father be with vsus for euer. Amen.
Yours in the Lord▪ Iohn Bradford.