Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 39 · Letter 11
¶To my deare brother Harry Adlington prisoner in the Lolardes Tower.
A…ther … Care… to Hen… Adlingtō … a Mar… partly … partly …selling … …ow to ….THe euerlasting peace of God in Iesus Christe, the continuall ayde, strength, ioy, and comforte of his moste pure, holye, and mightye spirite, with the increase of faythe and liuely feelyng of hys mercies: be most effectuously wrought in your hart, my deare and faythfull louing brother Adlington, and in the hartes of all your other godly prison fellowes, to the full finishing of that good worke, which the Lorde hath most graciously begonne in you: that the same may bee to the settyng foorth of his glorye, the commoditie of his poore afflicted Churche, and to your owne eternall ioy and comfort in in him, Amen.
My most deare and faythfull louing brother in oure Lorde, I withall the reste of my louing brethren here with me, doe moste humbly and hartily commend vsus vntounto you, with al faithfull remembraunce of you in our dayly prayers, geuing GOD earnest thankes on your moste happy behalfe, for that hee hath geuen you suche hartye boldnes and Christian constancie in the faythfull confession of his euerlasting veritie. Blessed bee GOD for thee my dearely beloued brother, whiche hathe vouched thee worthy of so great dignitie, as to suffer for his sake and settyng foorth of his glory. Oh glad in hart mayest thou bee, to whom it is geuen, not onelyonly to beleue in thy Lord and Christ most liuely: but also to suffer for his sake, as one of his seely sheepe appointed to the slaughter. Bee of good comfort therefore my good brother, for your callyng vntounto the Crosse of Christ, was after a marueilous sorte. Surely, it was onelyonly the Lordes appointement, and therefore hee will well performe his owne worke in and vponupon you, to the great magnifying of his glory, and comfort of your brethren: whose hartes are mightely refreshed, to heare how hartely you hauehave behaued your selfe hetherto.
This present day I receaued a Letter from you, at the readyng whereof my brethren and I were not a little comforted, to see your conscience so quieted in Christ, and your continuaunce so stedfast in him: whiche thynges be the speciall giftes of GOD, not geuen vntounto eueryevery man, but to you his deare dearelyng, electe, and chosen in Christ, and such as you bee. And where as you doe require to knowe my simple mynde concernyng your aunswere vntounto Doctour Story and the Chauncelour: truely I say you did aunswere them very well: for there are but two Sacramentes in deede: that is to say, the Sacrament of Baptisme, and the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ, as you hauehave full well aunswered them: praysed be GOD for his good giftes: who chuseth the weake to confounde the strong, and the foolishe to confounde the worldly wise. If,What a Sacrament is. when you come before them agayne, they doe aske you what a Sacrament is, say you that a Sacrament, beyng ministred accordyng to Christes institution, is a visible signe of an inuisible grace, and hath the promise of GODS mercy annexed vntounto it, auaylable to all such as doe worthely receaue it, and not vnworthely worshyppe it: as they would hauehave vsus to doe, contrary to GODS commaundement. And these properties belongyng to Christes true Sacramentes, can not bee applyed vntounto any one of those fiue Sacramentes whiche they hauehave inuented of their owne brayne, since Antechrist began to reigne, to blinde the people withall.
I perceiue deare hart, that vppon Friday they doe entend to condemne you and to geue you your iudgement. Therefore I thinke they will hauehave no great reasonyng with you, but bidde you aunswere them directly, either yea or nay, to all such thynges as they hauehave to charge you withall, whiche they hauehave gathered of you since you came into their cruell handes. But if they will needes make many wordes with you, because you are but a simple man, and therefore perchaunce they will be the busier with you to trouble you with many questions, to comber your knowledge, and then seeme to triumph ouer you and that truth that you do hold: if (I say) they do this (as perhappes for some euill purpose they will) then bee you so playne and as short as you cā, saying roundly vntounto them these or such like wordes, as nigh as you can.
Be it knowen vntounto you, that I in all pointes doe beleeue as it becommeth a true Christian,He instructeth him how and what to aunswere to the aduersaryes. and as I hauehave bene truely taught in the dayes of that good Kyng Edwarde, of such godly Preachers and Prophetes sent of GOD, as hauehave sealed their doctrine with their bloud: from whom I will dissent in no poynt: for I am a poore man without learnyng, but am commaunded of GOD to folow the counsell of his constant Preachers, and so doe I entend to doe, GOD geuyng me grace and assistaunce thereto.
As for you, I knowe you to bee none of Christes shepeheardes, but rauenyng Wolues whiche come to kill and scatter the flocke of Christ, as the Lorde sayd you should: and doth will vsus to beware of you and your poysoned doctrine,We are bound to follow our true preachers. biddyng vsus to iudge you accordyng to your fruites, whereby all men may see and knowe what you be, that will not be wilfully blind. But the good shepeheardes hauehave geuen their liues for the defence of Christes flocke: and I am commaunded to folowe their faythfull and Godly example, and to confesse with them one trueth, euen to the fire, if GOD shall see it good: and this as a true Christian, I hauehave hetherto done, and hence foorth by GODS grace entend for to doe.
And if for the same, GOD shall suffer you to take awaye my lyfe, as you hauehave done theirs, I am contented therewith:God will require a count of bloud. his will be done, for that onelyonly is good. But of this bee you sure, the Lord will shortly call you to accompt for all the innocent bloud that is shedde within this Realme: whiche you hauehave brought into a most woefull case, and made many a heauie hart in the same, and moe I perceaue you will make, so long as the Lord for our sinnes will suffer you to prosper, and vntill the tyme that your own iniquitie be full ripe. But then be you sure the Lord will sit in iudgement vpō you, as well as you do now vponupon his Saints, and will reward you according to your deseruings: to whō with my whole hart I cōmit my cause, and he will make aūswere for me, when the full time of my refreshing cōmeth.The Catholicke Church in King Edwardes dayes in England. In the meane space I will keepe silence with this that I hauehave sayd, trusting that I hauehave sufficiently discharged my conscience in cōfessing my faith and Religion to you, declaring of what Churche I am, euen of the Catholicke Church of Iesus Christ, which was well knowne to be here in Englande in oure late good kinges dayes, by two speciall tokens whiche cannot deceiue me, nor suffer me to be deceiued: that is to say, the pure preaching of his holy worde, and the due administration of the holy sacramentes:Two speciall markes to know the true church in England in K. Edwards dayes. whiche is not to be seene in your Romysh Churche, and therefore it cannot iustly bee called the Churche and spouse of Christ. I beleeue in the holy Trinitie, and all the other Articles of the Christian faythe contayned in the three Creedes, and finally all the Canonicall scripture to be true in eueryevery sentence. And I detest all sectes bothe of the Arrians and Anabaptistes, or anye other that deuide themselues from the true Churche of Christe, whiche is his misticall bodye, the grounde and piller of trueth, and the very house of the liuing God. And if for these thinges you take away my life, & make your selues gilty of my bloud, you may for I am in your handes as the sheep brought to the shambles, abiding the grace of the Butcher. And bee you sure, youre iudgement sleepeth not, but when you cry peace, peace, and all is safe: then shall your plagues begin like the sorrow of a woman traueling with childe, according to Christes infallible promise.
This kynde of aunswere my deare heart, it shall bee beste for you to make, and by Gods grace, I doe entend to take the same order my selfe in time to come, when the Lorde shall vouche me worthy of that great dignitie, whereunto hee hath called you. And if they shall laugh you to scorne, as I know they will, saying thou art a foole and an vnlearned assehead, and art able to make aunswere to nothing &c. care you not for it, but stil committe your cause vntounto God, who will make aunswere for you, and tell them that they hauehave bene aunswered agayne and agayn of diuers godly and learned men: but all will not helpe, for you hauehave one solution of all manner of questions,1. Thess 5. The Papistes hauehave one solution for all maner of questions. euen a fayre fire & fagots, this will be the ende of your disputations. Therefore I pray you to trouble me no more, but doe that whiche you are appoynted, when God shall permit the time. I am no better then Christe, his Apostles, and other of my good brethren that are gone before me.
This kinde of aunswere will cut their combes moste, and edifie the people that stand by, so that the same bee done coldly with sobrietie, meekenes, and patience: as I hearde say oure sweete brethren Thomas Harland and Iohn Oswalde did at Lewes in Sussex,Of Thomas Harland and Iohn Oswald read in the 2. impression pag. 195. to the great reioycing of the children of God that were in those parties: and I heare saye, that they were dissolued from this earthly Tabernacle at Lewes on saterday last, and were condemned but the Wednesday before: so that wee may perceaue the papistes hauehave quicke worke in hande, that they make suche haste to hauehave vsus home to our heauenly father. Therefore let vsus make our selues ready to ride in the fiery chariot, leauing these sory mantels and old clokes behinde vsus for a little time whiche God shall restore vntounto vsus agayne in a more glorious wise.4. Reg. 2.
My good brother Harry, you shall vnderstande that bragging Iohn T. hath begiled hys keepers (who trusted hym to well) and is runne awaye from them, and hathe broughte the poore men into gaeat daunger by the same. The one of them is cast by the Counselles commaundemente, into the gatehouse at Westminster, the other is fled foorth of the Countrey for feare.
Thus you may see the fruites of our free will men, that made so much boast of their owne strength.Freewill. But that house whiche is not builded surely vppon the vnmoueable rocke, will not longe stand agaynst the boystrous windes and stormes, that blowe so strongly in these dayes of trouble.
But my dearely beloued brother, blessed be God for you & such as you be, whiche hauehave played the partes of wise builders. You hauehave digged downe past the sande of youre owne naturall strengthe, and beneath the earth of your owne worldly wisedome, & are now come to the hard stone and vnmoueable Rock Christ, who is your onelyonly keeper: and vponupon him alone hauehave you builded your fayth most firmely, without doubting, mistruste, or wauering. Therefore neither the stormes nor tempestes, wyndes nor weathers that Sathan and all his wily workemen canne bring agaynst you, with the verye gates of hell to helpe them, shall euer be able once to moue your house, much lesse to ouerthrow it: for the Lorde God hymselfe, and no man, is the builder thereof, and hath promised to preserue and keepe the same safe for euer. VntoUnto his moste mercifull defence therefore, I doe hartily committe you and all your good company, desiring him for his sweete sonne Iesus Christes sake, to confirme and strengthen you all, that you may be constant vntounto the verye ende: that after the finall victory is once gotten, you may receiue the imme…cessible crowne of glorye, of Gods free gifte, through hys great mercye in Iesus Christe our onelyonly Sauiour. To whome with the Father and the holy Ghost, be all honour, glory, praise, thankes, power, rule and dominion for euer and euermore, Amen. The blessing of God be with you all.
Iohn Careles.