Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 39 · Letter 12
¶To my most deare and faythfull brother. T. V.
THe euerlasting peace of GOD in Iesus Chryste, the continuall ioye and comfort of hys most pure, holy,A letter of Iohn Ca…les writt… with heauenly po…er to co…fort an afflicted br…ther oppressed with pensiuenes and mourning for his sinnes. and mighty spirit, wyth the increase of fayth and liuely feeling of hys mercy, bee with you my deare hart in the Lorde, and faythfull louing brother T. V. to the full accomplishing of that good work which he hath so graciously begonne in you, that the same by all meanes, may be to the setting forth of his glory, to the cō moditie of his poore afflicted congregation, and to the sweete comfort and quietnes of your conscience in him now and euermore. Amen.
With suche due honour, louelove, and reuerence, as it becommeth me to beare vntounto the sweete sayntes and dearely beloued children of God, I hauehave me most hartily commended vntounto you, my deare brother V. with all earnest and faythfull remembrance of you in my dayly prayers, thanking God right hartily that you doe likewise remember me in yours: assuring you that my poore hart doth dayly feele great consolation thereby, GOD onelyonly hauehave the prayse for the same and all other his benefites. Ah my deare heart in the Lord, well is me that euer I was borne, that God of his great mercy and infinite goodnes hath vsed me most miserable wretche at any tyme, as his instrument, to minister any thing vntounto you eyther by wordes or writing, that might bee an occasion of your ioy and comfort in the Lorde, and a prouoking of you to prayse and thankesgeuing vntounto GOD for the same, as your moste louing and godly letter seemeth to importe. Oh happy am I that the Lorde hath appoynted me vntounto so good a ground to sowe his seede vppon: but muche more happie are you whose heart the Lorde hath prepared & made so meete to receiue the same so effectuously, geuing therto the sweete showers and heauenly dewes of his grace and holy spirit that it may bring forth fruite in due season accordingly: the increase whereof we shall shortly reape together with perfect ioye and gladnes, and that continually.
Therefore (my deare brother) I say vntounto you as good Elizabeth did to her deare cosin Mary: Happy are you,Luke. 1. and happy shall you be for euermore, because you hauehave beleued. The most sweet and faythfull promises of your redeemer Iesus Christ you hauehave surely layd vp in the treasury of your hart. His comfortable callinges you hauehave faythfully heard:Remission of sinnes. his faythfull admonitions you hauehave humbly obeyed, and therefore you shall neuer come into iudgement: your sinnes shall neuer be remembred:Mich. 7. for your sauiour hath cast them all into the bottome of the sea: he hath remoued them from you as farre as is the East from the West,Psal. 1…3. and hath geuen you for an euerlasting possession his iustification & holynesse, so that now no creature neyther in heauen nor in earth shalbe able to accuse you before the throne of the heauenly king.
Sathan is nowe iudged: he is nowe cast out from you: hee hath no part in you: you are wholy geuen vntounto Christ, whyche wil not loose you, your stedfast fayth in him hathe ouercome that sturdy and braggyng Prince of the worlde: Christ hath geuen you the finall victory ouer hym and al hys army, that they shall neuer hurt you.
What woulde you hauehave more? Oh my deare heart, howe great treasures are layde vp in store for you, and how gloryous a Crowne is alreadye made and prepared for you?
And albeit the holy Ghost doth beare wytnesse of all these thinges in your heart,Testimony of Gods spirite. and maketh you more sure and certain thereof, then if you had all the outward oracles in the worlde: yet I being certaynly perswaded and fully assured by the testimony of Gods spirite in my conscience, of youre eternall and sure saluation in our sweete Sauioure Iesus Christe, hauehave thought it good, yea and my bounden duety, not onelyonly at thys tyme to wryte vntounto you, and to shew my ioyfull hart in that behalfe: but also by the word and commaundement of Christ, to pronounce and affirme in the name and worde of the heauenly king Iehouah,Practise of the true keyes of the Gospell. and in the behalfe of his sweete sonne Iesus chryst oure Lorde, to whom all knees shall bow, whom all creatures shall worshippe: and also by the impulsion of the holy Ghost, by whose power and strength all the faythfull bee regenerate: I doe (I say) pronounce to thee my deare brother T. V. that thou art already a Citizen of heauen.
The Lord thy God in whom thou doest put all thy trust, for his deare sonnes sake, in whom thou doest also vndoubtedly beleue, hath freely forgeuen thee all thy sinnes, clearely released all thyne iniquities, and full pardoned all thine offences, bee they neuer so many, so grieuous, or so great, and will neuer remember them any more to condemnation. As truely as he liueth, he will not hauehave thee dye the death, but hath vtterly determined, purposed, and eternally decreed, that thou shalte lyue with him for euer. Thy sore shall bee healed, and thy woundes bounde vpp euen of himselfe for his owne names sake. He doth not nor will not looke vponupon thy sinnes in thee: but he respecteth and beholdeth thee in Christ, in whome thou art lyuely graffed by faith in his bloud, and in whome thou art most assuredly elected and chosen to be a sweete vessell of his mercy and saluation, and wast thereto predestinate in him before the foundation of the world was laid. In testimony and earnest whereof, he hath geuen thee his good and holye spirite which woorketh in thee, faith, louelove, and vnfained repentance, with other godly vertues, contrary to the corruption of thy nature.
Also he hath commanded me this day (although a most vnwoorthy wretch) to be a witnesse hereof by the ministery of hys holy woord,Experience of Christ working in his Chruch. grounded vponupon the truth of his most faithfull promisses: the which thou beleeuing, shalt liue for euer. Beleeuest thou this my deare heart? I knowe well thou doest beleeue. The Lorde increase thy faith, and geue thee a liuely feeling of all hys mercies: wherof thou art warranted and assured by the testimony of the holy Ghost, who confirme in thy conscience (to the vtter ouerthrowing of Sathan, and those his most hurtfull dubitations wherby he is accustomed to molest and vexe the true children of God) all that I hauehave sayde: and by Gods grace I will, as a witnesse thereof, confirme and seale the same with my bloud, for a most certaine truthe.
Wherefore (my good brother) praise the Lord with a ioyful heart, and geue him thankes for this his exceeding great mercy, casting away all dubitation and wauering, yea all sorow of heart and pensiuenesse of minde: for this the Lord your God and most deare and louing father, commandeth you to doe by me, nay rather by his owne mouth & woord pronounced by me. But now my deare brother, after that I hauehave done my message: or rather the Lordes message in deede, I coulde finde in my heart to wryte 2. or 3. sheetes of paper, declaring the ioy I beare in my heart for you, mine owne bowels in the Lord: yet the time being so short (as you do well know) I am heere constrained to make an ende, desiring you to pardone my slacknesse, and to forgeue my great negligence towardes you, promising you still that so long as my poore life doth last, my prayer shal supply that my pen doth wāt▪ as knoweth the almighty God, to whose most merciful defence I doe heartely commit you and all other his deare children, as wel as though I had rehearsed them by name, desiring them most heartely to remember me in their hearty and dailye prayers, as I know right well they doe: for I feele the daily comfort and commodity therof, & therfore I neither wil nor can forget them, nor you, or any such like. The blessing of God be with you al. Amē.
Yours for euer vnfainedly, Iohn Careles.