Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 39 · Letter 5
¶To my most deare and faythfull brethren in Newgate, condemned to dye for the testimony of Gods euerlasting truth.
THe euerlasting peace of God, in Iesus Christ, the cōtinual ioy, strength and comfort of his most pure, holy,An other letter of Iohn Carles to the constant brethren in Newgate condemned▪ & mighty spirite, with the increase of fayth & liuely feeling of his eternall mercy, be with you, my most deare & faythfull louing brother Tyms, & with all the rest of my deare hartes in the Lord, your faithfull felow souldiers, & most constant cōpanions in bonds, yea of men condēned most cruelly for the sincere testimony of Gods euerlasting truth, to the full finishing of that good worke, which he hath so graciously begon in you all, that the same may be to his glory, the commodity of his poore afflicted church, and to your euerlasting comfort in him. Amen.
Ah my most sweet and louing brethrē, and dearest hartes in the Lord, what shall I say, or how shall I write vntounto you in the least poynt or part, to vtter the great ioy that my poore hart hath cōceiued in God, through the most godly example of your christian constancy and sincere confession of Christes verity? Truely my tongue can not declare, nor my pen expresse the aboūdance of spirituall myrth and gladnes, that my minde and inward man hath felte,Example of true louelove & charitye among the Martyrs. euer since I heard of your harty boldnes, and modest behauior before that bloudy butcher, in the time of al your crafty examinations, especially at your cruell condēnation in theyr cursed Consistory place. Blessed be God the Father of all mercy, & praysed be his name, for that he hath so graciously performed vponupon you his deare darlinges, his most sweete and comfortable promises, in not onelyonly geuing you the cō tinuall aide, strength, and comfort of his holye and mighty spirite, to the faythfull confession of his Christ, for whose cause (O most happy mē) ye are condemned to dye: but also in geuing you such a mouth & wisedom,The enemyes not able to withstand the wisedome of God in his Saintes, but compelled to bydde them hold their peace. as al your wicked enemies were not able to resist, but were fayne to cry: Peace, peace, & not suffer you to speake. As truely as God liueth (my deare brethrē) this is not only vntounto you a most euident probation that God is on our side, and a sure certainty of your euerlasting saluatiō in him, but also to your cruell aduersaries (or rather gods cursed enemies) a plaine demōstration of their iust eternall woe & damnatiō which they shalbe full sure shortly to feele, whē ye shal ful sweetly possesse the place of felicity & pleasure prepared for you frō the beginning.
Therefore (my dearly beloued) cease not so long as ye be in this life, to prayse the Lord with a lusty courage, for that of his great mercy and infinite goodnesse, he hath vouched you worthy of this great dignity, to suffer for his sake not onelyonly the losse of goodes, wife, and childrē, long imprisonment, cruell oppressiō &c. but also the very depriuation of this mortall life, with the dissolution of your bodies in the fire. The which is the greatest promotion that GOD can bring you or any other vntounto in this vale of misery, yea so great an honour, as the highest Aungel in heauen is not permitted to hauehave: & yet hath the Lord (for his dere sonne Christs sake reputed you worthy of the same, yea and that before me and many other,Iohn Careles longeth to dye a Martyr in the Gospells caus…. which hauehave both long looked & longed for the same.
Ah my most deare brother Tyms, whose time resteth altogether in the handes of the Lorde, in a full happy time camest thou into this troublesome world, but in a much more blessed houre shalt thou depart forth of the same: so that the sweete saying of Salomon, or rather of the holye ghost, shall be full well verified vponupon thee, yea and all thy faythfull fellowes: Better is the day of death (sayth hee) then the day of byrth. This saying cannot be verified vponupon eueryevery man, but vponupon thee my deare brother, and suche as thou art,… whose death is most precious before God, & full deare shal your bloud be in his sight. Blessed be God for thee my deare brother Tymmes,Of the Martyrs … of … Tyms read before, pag 1895. and blessed be God agayn that euer I knew thee, for in a most happy time I came first into thy company. Pray for me, deare brother, pray for me, yt God will once vouch me worthye of that great dignitie whereunto he hath now brought you.
Ah my louing brother Drake, whose soule draweth now nigh vntounto God, of whom you hauehave receiued ye same, ful glad may you be that euer God gaue you a life to leaue for his sake: Full well will he restore it to you agayne in a thousand fold more glorious wife.… Prayse God, good brother, as you hauehave great cause, and pray for me, I beseeche you, which am so muche vnworthy (so great are my sins) of that great dignitie whereunto the Lord hath called you and the rest of your godly brethren: whome I beseech you to comfort in the Lorde, as you can full well: praysed be God for his giftes, which you hauehave hartily applyed to the setting forth of his glory, and the commoditie of his poore afflicted Church. Which thing shal surely redound to your euerlasting ioy, and comfort, as you shall most effectually feele or euer it be long, though the wicked of ye world iudge farre otherwise.
Ah mine owne hartes, and most dearely beloued brethren,… both the Spurges … in the …. pag. …. Cauell, Ambrose, and both the Spurges: blessed be the Lord on your behalfe, and praysed be his name: which hath geuen you such a glorious victory: Full valiant hauehave you shewed your selues in the Lords fight, & ful faithfully in your paynefull seruice. Faint not, but go on forward as ye hauehave most godly begun, for great shall your reward be at the end of this your trauell. Ah my good faythfull brethren all, what shall I say, or what shall I write vntounto you but euen the same that good Elizabeth did say to her godly kinswoman Mary the blessed mother of Christe: Happy art thou (quoth that good woman) which hast beleued: for al thinges which the Lord hath spoken to thee, …shal be fulfilled. So I say to you (my deare heartes in the Lorde) happy are ye all, yea twise happy shall ye bee for euermore, because yee hauehave stedfastly beleued ye most sweete promises which god ye father hath made vntounto you wt his owne mouth, in yt he hath promised you (which are the faythfull seede of the beleuing Abraham) that ye shall be blessed euer, world without end. The promises of God your sweet father, as ye do beleue, so do ye beare record that God is true. The Testymony wherof ye hauehave full worthily borne to the worlde, & shortly will full surely seale the same with your bloud, yea euen to morow, I do vnderstand. Oh constant Christians oh valiant souldiers of the high captayne Iesus Chryste, who for your sake hath conquered the deuill, death, sinne, & hel,… & hath geuē you full victory ouer them for euermore. Oh worthy witnesses, and most glorious martyrs, whose inuincible fayth hath ouercome that proude, sturdye, bragging Prince of ye world, & al his wicked army, ouer whom ye shall shortly triumph for euermore. Ah my sweet harts the euerlasting treasures are full surely layd vp for you in heauen. The immercessible and moste glorious crowne of victory is already made and prepared for you, to be shortly clapt vponupon all your happy heades. The holy Aungelles of your heauenly father are already appoynted to conducte your sweete soules into Abrahams bosome. All the heauē ly host reioyseth already, for that they shall shortly receiue you with ioy & felicitie into their blessed fellowship. Selah.
Reioyce with double ioy, and bee glad my deare brethren, for doubtles ye hauehave more cause then can be expressed.…. …19. But (alas) I that for my sinnes am left behinde, may lye and lament with the holy Prophet, saying: Woe is me that the dayes of my ioyfull rest are prolonged. Ah cursed Satan, which hath caused me so sore to offend my most deare louing father, whereby my exile and banishmente is so much prolonged. Oh christ my deare aduocate, pacifie thy fathers wrath, which I hauehave iustly deserued, that he may take me home to him in his sweete mercye. Oh yt I might now come home vntounto thee with my blessed brethren. Wel, thy will (O Lord) be effectuously fulfilled, for it is onelyonly good, and turneth all thinges to the best, for suche as thou in thy mercies hast chosen.
And now farewell my deare heartes, most happy in ye Lord. I trust in my good God, yet shortly to see you in the celestiall citie, wherof vndoubtedly the Lord hath already made you free citizens. Though ye be yet with vsus for a litle time, your very home is in heauē, where your treasure doth remayne with your sweet Lord and Redeemer Iesus Christe, whose calling you hauehave heard with the eares of youre heartes, and therefore yee shall neuer come into iudgement, but passe from death to life. Your sinnes shall neuer be remembred, be they neuer so many, so greeuous or so great,Psal. 103. for your sauiour hath cast them all into ye bottome of the sea: he hath remoued them from you as farre as the East is from the West, and his mercy hathe muche more preuayled ouer you,Triumph of Martyrs. then is distaunce betweene heauē and earth: and he hath geue you for an euerlasting possession of the same, al his holinesse, righteousnesse, and iustification, yea and the holy Ghost into your harts, wherwith ye are surely sealed vntounto the daye of redemption, to certifie you of your eternall election, and that yee are hys true adopted sonnes, whereby yee may boldly crye vntounto God: Abba deare father, for euermore: so that now no creature in heauen, earth, nor hell,Gen. 3. shall be able to accuse you before the throne of the heauenly king. Satan is now cast out from you: he himselfe is iudged, and hathe no parte in you. He will once more byte you by the heele, and then he hath don, for at that time you shall squise his head through your owne good Christ, and so hauehave you finall victory for euermore. In ioyfull triumphe whereof, yee shall sweetly ascend into the place of eternall rest, whether youre eldest brother christ is gone before you, to take possession for you and to prepare your place vnderunder the holy aultar, wt Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Rogers, Hooper, Saunders, Farrar, Taylour, Bradford, Philpot, with many other, who will be full glad of your comming, to see sixe moe of their appoynted number that their bloud may so muche the sooner be reuenged vponupon them that dwell on the earth.
Thus I make an ende, committing you all to Gods most mercifull defence, whose quarrell yee hauehave defended, whose cause ye hauehave promoted, whose glory yee hauehave sette forth, and whose name ye hauehave constantly confessed. Farewell for a while, my deare hartes in the Lord: I wil make as much haste after you as I may. All our deare brethren salute you. They pray for you, and prayse God for you cō tinually. Blessed be the dead that dye in the Lord, Apoc. 11.for they rest from their labours, sayth the holy Ghost, and their workes follow them.
Your owne, Iohn Careles, a most vnprofitable servaunt of the Lord. Pray, pray, pray.
¶In the pag. 1742. ye heard before the letter of Thomas Whittel, written to Iohn Careles wherin he yeldeth great thankes vntounto him, for the singular ioy and consolatiō receiued by his letters. The copie of which letters sent vntounto him if any be disposed to peruse, here vnderunder foloweth to satisfie his desire.