Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 39 · Letter 13
A letter of thankes to a faithfull frend of his, by whom he had receiued much comfort in his inward troubles.
BLessed be God the father of all mercye, for the great comfort and Christian consolation which he hath so mercifully ministred vntounto my poore afflicted heart by your meanes,An other letter of Iohn Careles to a faythfull friend of his, of thankesgeuing. my moste deare and faithful brother. Truely me thinketh your woords, or rather Gods woordes by you vttered, hauehave a wonderfull power and efficacie woorking in my heart at the hearing or readyng of them. Reioyce therfore my deare brother, and be thankfull vntounto God: for verily he both is & will be mightely magnified in you, and that diuers and manye waies, both to the strengthening of them that stand in his truth, and also to the raising vp of such as are fallen from the same. God make me thankefull for you & on your behalfe, for verily great is the goodnesse of God towardes me in geuing me acquaintance in faithfull louelove and amitye with you: Gods name for euer be praised therfore, and he perfourme all his mercifull promises vponupon you, as I doubt not but he will, for his sake in whome you trust.
I thanke my God most hartely, & also you my good brother, for that you are carefull for me in your faithfull praiers, remembring my iust deserued sorowes,He geueth him thākes. as though they were your own and laboring so much to solace the same. Ah my gracious good God, what am I, for whom thou & thy deare children should be so carefull? Oh sweete Lord, forgeue me my great ingratitude & sinne, and graūt that I neuer abuse thy great benefits. Oh let the louelove of thine elect, which louelove me for thy sake, be a sure signe & token, yea a most firme testimony & a seale to my sinfull conscience of thine euerlasting louelove and mercy towards me in Christ: as verely it would and ought to be, if mine infidelity did not let it. Oh circumcise therefore the foreskin of my heart, that I may with liuely faith behold thy great louelove towardes me in all thine elect, that I may alwaies be thankeful for the same, and louelove thee and them againe most heartely and vnfainedly.
Ah my deare heart, how sweetely and how truely, yea howe godly & how cōfortably hauehave you rehersed the swete saying of Salomon concerning prosperity with true & godly frends?What a treasure a trusty frend is. Eccle. 6. I wil ioine with it the sentence which goeth a little before, for doubtlesse it may be well verified on you. A sure frend (sayeth the wise man) wil be vntounto thee euen as thine owne soule, and deale faithfully with thy houshold folke. If thou suffer trouble and aduersitye, he is with thee, and hideth not his face from thee. A faythful friend is a strong defence: who so finedeth such a one, finedeth a treasure. A faithfull friend hath no peere: the waight of golde is not to bee compared to the goodnesse of his faith. A faythfull frend is a medicine of life, and they that feare the Lord, shal finde him. &c. Loe (my deare heart in the Lord) here is a liuely image or description of you: for verely such a one hauehave I alwaies foūd you vntounto me, not onelyonly sorrowing for my great sorrow: but also oftentimes making me merry and ioyfull,There is no true frendship but amongest godle persons. with such ioyes as the world can not feele. Nowe let the worlde bragge of hys fained frendship: but I will boast of this true frendship in God, and esteeme it a more treasure then all transitorye things. And as for my mourning, deare brother, God hathe made you to tourne it vntounto mirth: for God hath put you in the stead of them to be my comfort, whome he hath in hys great mercy taken away. I trust hencefoorth to leaue the mourning for my greate losse, and to praise God for gaining vntounto him selfe so great glory by his chosen children. God make me a true mourner of Syon,Such mourners should we be continually with thi… and others Gods deare children: and blessed be they that so mourne. bothe for mine owne sinne and wickednesse, and also to see his honoure defaced, that I may be made meete and apte to beare the ioyfull and comfortable message that your beautifull feete shall brynge me. God blesse thee my deare heart and faithful louing brother and increase his good giftes of grace in thee, as he hathe moste happely begonne, that you may daily more effectually feele and liuely perceiue the certaintie of Gods grace wherin you stand, and firmely to testifie the same, to the conuersion or confoūding of all gainsayers, and to the comfort & confirmation of al Gods deare children, Amen. Farewell mine owne sweete brother, fare well as mine owne heart.
Your owne in Christ, Iohn Careles·