No. 53.*

TO HIS DEARLY BELOVED SISTER, Mrs. A. W.

THE everlasting peace of Christ be more and more lively felt in our hearts, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, now and for ever, Amen.

Although I know it to be more than needeth, to write any thing unto you, good Sister, being, as I doubt not you be, diligently exercised in reading of the Scriptures, meditating the same, and hearty prayer to God for the help of his Holy Spirit, to have the sense and feeling especially of the comforts you read in God's sweet book; yet having such opportunity, and knowing not whether hereafter I shall have the like, as this bringer can declare, I thought good in few words to take my farewell in writing, because otherwise I

cannot.

And now methinks, I have done it; for what else can I, or should I, say unto you, my dearly beloved in the Lord, but farewell? Farewell, dear Sister, farewell; howbeit in the Lord, our Lord, I say, farewell; in him shall you fare well, and so much the better, by how much in yourself you fare evil, and shall fare evil.

When I speak of yourself, I mean also this world, this life, and all things properly pertaining to this life. In them as you look not for your welfare, so be not dismayed, when accordingly you shall feel it. To the Lord our God, to the Lamb our Christ, who hath borne our sins on his back, and is our mediator for ever, do I send you. In him look for welfare, and that without all wavering, because of his own goodness and truth, which our evilness and untruth cannot take away.

Not that therefore I would have you to flatter yourself in any evil or unbelief, but that I would comfort you, that they should not

Fox iii. 319. Cov. 457.

dismay you. Yours is our Christ wholly; yours, I say, he is, with all that ever he hath. Is not this welfare, trow you? Mountains shall move and the earth shall fall, before you find it otherwise; say the liar satan what he list. Therefore, good Sister, farewell, and be merry in the Lord; be merry, I say, for you have good cause.

If your welfare, joy, and salvation hanged upon any other thing, than only God's mercy and truth, then might you well be sad, heavy, and stand in a doubt. But in that it hangeth only upon these two, tell satan he lieth, when he would have you to stand in a mammering, by causing you to cast your eyes, which only in this case should be set on Christ, your sweet Saviour, on yourself in some part.

Indeed, look on yourself, on your faith, on your love, obedience, &c., to awake you up from security, to stir you to diligence, in doing the things appertaining to your vocation; but when you would be at peace with God, and have true consolation in your conscience, altogether look upon the goodness of God in Christ. Think on this commandment, which precedeth all others, that you must have no other Gods, but the LORD JEHOVAH, which is your Lord and God; the which he could not be, if that he did not pardon your sins in very deed. Remember that Christ commandeth you to call him Father, for the same intent.

And hereto call to mind all the benefits of God, hitherto showered upon you; and so shall you feel in very deed, that which I wish unto you now, and pray you to wish unto me, farewell or well fare in the LORD JESUS; which may he grant us shortly to meet, as his children, for his name and mercy's sake, to our eternal welfare. Amen.

Your own in the Lord,

JOHN BRADFORD.

No. 54.*

TO HIS MOTHER,

As a farewell, who thought he should have suffered shortly

after.

THE Lord of Life and Saviour of the World, Jesus Christ, bless you and comfort you, my good and dear Mother, with his heavenly comfort, consolation, grace, and spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

If I thought that daily, yea almost hourly, you did not cry upon God the Father, through Jesus Christ, that he would give me his blessing, even the blessing of his children; then would I write more hereabouts. But forasmuch as herein I am certain you are diligent, and so I beseech you, good Mother, to continue; I think it good to write something, whereby this your crying might be furthered. Furthered it will be, if those things which hinder it be taken away. Among the which, in that I think my imprisonment is the greatest and chiefest, I will thereabout spend this letter, and that briefly, lest it might increase the let, as my good brother, this bringer, can tell you.†

You shall know therefore, good Mother, that for my body, though it be in an house, out of the which I cannot come when I will, yet in that I have conformed my will to God's will, I find herein liberty enough, I thank God. And for my lodging, bedding, meat, drink, godly and learned company, books, and all other necessaries, for mine ease, comfort, and commodity, I am in much better case, than I could wish, and God's merciful providence here is far above my worthiness. Worthiness, quoth I? Alas, I am worthy of nothing but damnation.

Fox iii. 350. Cov. 451.

He meaneth the danger of more strait imprisonment, that might hereby follow.

Cov. 451.

But besides all this, for my soul I find much more commodity; for God is my father, I now perceive, through Christ; therefore in imprisoning me for his Gospel, he maketh me like to the image of his Son Jesus Christ here, that when he cometh to judgment, I might then be like unto him, as my trust and hope is I shall be. Now maketh he me like to his friends, the prophets, apostles, the holy martyrs, and confessors. Which of them did not suffer, at the least, imprisonment or banishment for his Gospel and word?

Now, Mother, how far am I unmeet to be compared unto them? I, I say, who always have been, and am, so vile an hypocrite, and grievous a sinner; God might have caused me, long before this time, to have been cast into prison, as a thief, a blasphemer, an unclean liver, and an heinous offender of the laws of the realm; but, dear Mother, his mercy is so great upon both you and me, and all that love me, that I should be cast into prison as none of these, or for any such vices; but only for his Christ's sake, for his Gospel's sake, for his Church's sake; that hereby, as I might learn to lament, to bewail my ingratitude and sins; so I might rejoice in his mercy, be thankful, look for eternal joy with Christ, for whose sake, praised be his name for it, I now suffer, and therefore should be merry and glad.

And indeed, good Mother, so I am as ever I was, yea, never so merry and glad was I, as I now should be, if I could get you to be merry with me, to thank God for me, and to pray on this sort.—Ah, good Father, who dost vouchsafe that my son, being a grievous sinner in thy sight, should find this favour with thee, to be one of thy Son's captains, and men of war to fight and suffer for his Gospel's sake. I thank thee and pray thee, in Christ's name, that thou wouldest forgive him his sins and unthankfulness, and make perfect in him that good, which thou hast began; yea, Lord, I pray thee make him worthy to suffer not only imprisonment, but even very death, for the truth, religion, and Gospel's sake. As Hannah did apply, and give her first child, Samuel, unto thee; so do I, dear Father, beseeching thee, for Christ's sake, to accept this my gift, and give my son John Bradford grace, always truly to serve thee and thy people, as Samuel did, Amen, Amen.

If on this sort, Mother, from your heart, you would pray, as 1

should be the merriest* man that ever was, so am I certain the lets of your prayer for my imprisonment, would be taken away. Mark therefore, good Mother, what I have written, and learn this prayer by heart, to say it daily, and then I shall be merry, and you shall rejoice; if that you continue as I trust you do, in God's true religion, even the same I have taught you; and my Father Traves, I trust, will put you in remembrance of; my brother Roger also, I trust, doth so daily. Go to therefore, and learn apace. Although the devil cast divers lets in the way, God, in whom you trust, will cast them away for his Christ's sake, if you will call upon him, and never will he suffer you to be tempted, above that he will make you able to bear. But how you should do herein, the other letter I have written herewith, shall teach you, which I would none should read, till my Father Traves have read it, and he will give you, by God's grace, some instructions.

Now therefore will I make an end, praying you, good Mother, to look for no more letters; for if it were known that I have pen and ink and did write, then should I want all the foresaid commodities I have spoken of concerning my body, and be cast into some dungeon in fetters of iron, which thing I know would grieve you, and therefore, for God's sake, see that these be burned, when this little prayer in it is copied out by my brother Roger; for perchance your house may be searched for such gear, when you think little of it; and look for no more, sweet Mother, till either God shall deliver me and send me out, either you and I shall meet together in heaven, where we shall never part asunder, Amen.

I require you, Elizabeth and Margaret, my sisters, that you will fear God, use prayer, love your husbands, be obedient unto them, as God willeth you; bring up your children in God's fear; and be good housewives. God bless you both, with both my good brethren your husbands, whom to do good, because I now cannot, I will pray

See Appendix, Note (S.) How delightful it is to see the power of religion thus exemplified in the view of death, and how our minds are thus led to retrace the history of the early christians.

+ This letter cometh not to our hands.-Cov. 453.

Fox iii. 351.