Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 13 · Letter 6
To the brethren remaining in captiuitie of the flesh, and dispearsed abroad in sundry prisones, but knit together in vnity of spirit and holy Religion in the bowels of the Lorde Iesu.
GRace, peace & mercye be multiplied among you. What worthy thankes can we render vntounto the Lorde for you my brethren,A letter of B R…ley to … of … English. namely for ye great cōsolation which through you we hauehave receiued in the Lorde, who notwithstanding the rage of Sathan that goeth about by all maner of subtill meanes to beguile the worlde, and also bu…l… laboreth to restore and set vp his kingdome againe, yt of late began to decay and fall to ruine: ye remaine yet stil …, as men surely grounded vponupon a strong rocke. And nowe, albeit that sathan by his souldiors and wicked ministers, daily (as we heare) draweth numbers vntounto hym, so that it is sayd of him that he plucketh euen the very starres out of heauen, whiles hee driueth into some men th… feare of death and losse of all their goods, and sheweth and offereth to other some the pleasaunt baites of the worlde, namelye richesse, wealth, and all kinde of delightes and pleasures, faire houses, great reuenues, …at benefices, and what not? and all to the intent they should fall downe & worship, not the Lorde, but the Dragon the olde Serpent, whych is the deuil, that great beast and his image,Apoc. 1…. and should be in…iced to commit fornication with the strompet of Babilon, together wyth the kings of the earth, wyth the lesser beast, and with the false Prophetes, and so to reioyce and be pleasant wyth her, and to be drunken wyth the wine of her fornication: yet blessed be God the Father of oure Lorde Iesus Christe, which hath geuen vntounto you a manly courage,Apoc, 17. and hath so strengthened you in the inwarde man by the power of his spirite, that you can contemne as well all the terrours, as also the vaine flatteringe allurementes of the worlde, esteeming them as vanities, mere trifles, & things of nought: Who hath also wroughte, planted, and surely stablished in your hearts so stedfast a fayth and louelove of the Lorde Iesus Christe, ioyned with such constancie, that by no engines of Antichriste, be they neuer so terrible or plausible, yee will suffer any other Iesus or any other Christ to be forced vponupon you▪ besides him whom the Prophet… hauehave spoken of before, ye Apostles hauehave preached, the holy Martyrs of God hauehave cōfessed and testified with the effusion of their bloud.
In thys Faith stand ye fast my brethren and suffer not your selues to be brought vnderunder the yoke of bondage and superstition any more. For ye know, brethren, howe yt our sauiour warned his beforehand, that such shoulde come as would poynt vntounto the world an other Christ, and woulde set him out wyth so many fals myracles,Gal. 5. Math. 24. and with such deceiueable and subtill practises, that euen the very electe (if it were possible) should be therby deceiued: such strong delusion to come, did our Sauiour geue warning of before:He exhorteth the brethren to stand fast. But continue ye faithful and constant, and be of good comfort, & remember that our graund captaine hath ouercome the world: for he that is in vsus, is stronger then he that is in the world, and the Lorde promiseth vntounto vsus, that for the elects sake, the daies of wickednes shall be shortned. In the meane season abide ye & endure with patience as ye hauehave begun: endure I say,1. Iohn. 4. and reserue your selues vntounto better times, as one of the heathen Poetes said,Virgill. Aene…d. 1. Phil. 1. cease not to shew yourselues valiant Soldiours of the Lorde, and helpe to maintaine the trauelling faith of the Gospell.
Yee hauehave neede of patience, that after ye hauehave done the wil of God, ye may receiue the promises. For yet a very litle while, and he that shall come will come, and wil not tarie, and the iust shall liue by faith: but if anye withdrawe him selfe▪ Heb. 10.my soule shall hauehave no pleasure in him (sayth the Lorde.) But we are not they which doe withdrawe oure selues vntounto damnation, Patience necessary for al Christians. 1. Iohn. 10,but beleeue vntounto the saluation of the soule. Let vsus not suffer these woordes of Christ to fall out of our hearts by any manner of terrours or threatnings of the worlde. Feare not them which kil the body: the rest ye know. For I wryte not vntounto you, as to menne which are ignoraunt of the truth, but which know the truthe, and to this ende onelyonly, that we agreeing together in one faith, may take comfort one of an other, and be the more confirmed and strengthened thereby. We neuer had a better or more iust cause either to contemne our life or shed our bloud:The quarell of the Martyrs … iust and true. we can not take in hande the defence of a more certaine, cleare, and manifest truthe. For it is not any ceremonie for the which we contend, but it toucheth the very substance of our whole Religion, yea, euen Christ him selfe. Shall we,Heb. 1. Colos…. 1. Martyrs put to death … they will acknowledge no more … 1. Cor. 8. either can we receiue and acknowledge any other Christe in steade of hym, who is alone the euerlasting sonne of the euerlasting Father, and is the brightnesse of the glory, and liuely image of the substaunce of the Father, in whome onelyonly dwelleth corporally the fulnesse of the Godhead, who is the onelyonly waye, the truth and the life? Let such wickednesse (my brethren) lette such horrible wickednesse be farre from vsus. For althoughe there be that are called Gods, whether in heauen either in earth, as there be many Gods and many Lordes, yet vntounto vsus there is but one God, which is the Father, of whome are al things, and we in him, and one Lord Iesus Christ, by whome are all things, and wee by him: but eueryevery man hath not knowledge. This is life eternal (sayth S. Iohn) that they know thee to be the onelyonly true God, Iohn. ….and whome thou haste sent, Iesus Christ. If any therfore would force vponupon vsus any other GOD, besides him whom Paule and the Apostles hauehave taughte, let vsus not heare him, but let vsus flee frō him, and hold him accursed.
Brethren, ye are not ignorant of the deepe and profoūd subtleties of Satan:The profundities of Sathan. Apoc 2. 1. Peter. 5. for he will not cease to raunge about you, seking by all meanes possible whom he may deuour: but play ye the men, and be of good comfort in the Lorde. And albeit your enemies and the aduersaries of the truth, armed with all worldly force and power that may be, doe set vppon you: yet be not ye faynt harted, nor shrinke not therfore: but trust vntounto your Captayne Christ, trust vntounto the spirit of truth, & trust to the truth of your cause: which, as it may by the malice of satan be darckened,The Martyrs hauehave all the Prophets, Apostles and auncient ecclesiastical writers on their side. Phil. 1. so can it neuer be cleane put out. For we hauehave (high prayse be geuen to God therfore) most playnely, euidently, and clearely on our side, all the Prophets, all the Apostles, and vndoubtedly all the auncient Ecclesiastical writers which hauehave writtan, vntill of late yeares past.
Let vsus bee hartye and of good courage therefore, and throughlye comforte our selues in the Lorde. Bee in no wise afrayd of your aduersaries: for that which is to them an occasion of perdition, is to you a sure token of saluatiō, and that of GOD. For vntounto you it is geuen, that not onelyonly ye shoulde beleeue on hym, but also suffer for hys sake.1. Peter. 4. And when ye are rayled vppon for the name of Christe, remember that by the voyce of Peter, yea, and of Christe our Sauiour also, ye are counted with the Prophetes, with the Apostles, and with the holy Martyrs of Christ, happy and blessed therefore: for the glory and spirit of God resteth vponupon you.
On their part our Sauiour Christe is euill spoken of, but on your part he is gloryfied. For what can they els do vntounto you by persecuting you, and working al crueltie & villanie agaynst you,He exhorteth vsus not to wishe euill to our persecutors. but make your crownes more glorious, yea beautifie & multiply the same, & heape vponupon them selues the horrible plagues and heauy wrath of God: and therfore good brethrē, though they rage neuer so fiercely against vsus, yet let vsus not wish euill vntounto thē againe, knowing that whiles for Christes cause they vexe and persecute vsus, they are lyke mad men, most outragious and cruell agaynst them selues, heaping hot burning coles vponupon their owne heades: but rather let vsus wish well vntounto thē, knowing that we are thereunto called in Christe Iesu,1. Pet.. 3. that we should be heyres of the blessing. Let vsus pray therefore vntounto God, that he would driue out of their harts this darkenes of errours, & make the light of his truth to shine vntounto thē, that they acknowledging their blindnes, may with al humble repentance be conuerted vntounto the Lord, & together with vsus confesse hym to be the onelyonly true God, which is the father of light, & his onelyonly sonne Iesus Christ, worshipping him in spirit and veritie. Amen. The spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ comfort your hartes in the louelove of God and pacience of Christ. Amen.
Your brother in the Lord, whose name this bearer shall signifie vntounto you, ready alwayes by the grace of God, to liue and die with you.