grievously, Oh Lord God, against thy majesty; we have heaped iniquity upon iniquity, the measure of our transgressions floweth over, so that justly is thy wrath and vengeance fallen upon us; for we are very miserable, we have contemned thy long suffering, we have not hearkened to thy voice; when thou hast called us by thy preachers, we hardened our hearts, and therefore now deserve that thou sendest thy curse hereupon to harden our hearts also; that we should henceforth have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, hearts and understand not, lest we should be converted and saved.

Oh, be merciful unto us, spare us, good Lord, and all thy people, whom thou hast dearly bought. Let not thine enemies triumph altogether and always against thee, for then will they be puffed up. Look down and behold the pitiful complaints of the poor, let the sorrowful sighings of the simple come in thy sight, and be not angry with us for ever. Turn us, O Lord God of Hosts, unto thee, and turn thee unto us, that thou mayest be justified in thy sweet sentences, and overcome when thou art judged, as now thou art of our adversaries; for they say, Where is their God? Can God deliver them now? Can their Gospel serve them? Oh, Lord, how long? For the glory of thy name, and for thy honour's sake, in the bowels and blood of Jesus Christ, we humbly beseech thee, come and help us, for we are very miserable.

On this sort, I say, dearly beloved, let us publicly and privately bewail our sins; but so that hereto we join ceasing from wilfulness and sin of purpose, for else the Lord heareth not our prayers, as David saith; and in St. John it is written, The impenitent sinners God heareth not. Now impenitent are they who purpose not to amend their lives; as for example, not only those who follow still their pleasures, in covetousness, uncleanness, carnality; but those also who, for fear or favour of man, do against their conscience, consent to the Romish rags, and resort to the rotten religion, communicating in service and ceremonies with the papists; thereby declaring themselves to love the world more than God, to fear man more than Christ, to dread the loss of temporal things more than of eternal; in whom it is evident, the love of God abideth not; for he that loveth the world, hath not God's love abiding in him, saith the Evangelist.

Therefore, my dear hearts, and dear again in the Lord, remember what ye have professed, Christ's religion and name, and the renouncing of the devil, sin, and the world. Remember that before ye learned A. B. C., your lesson was Christ's cross. Forget not that Christ will have no disciples, but such as will promise to deny themselves, and take up their cross, mark, they must take it up, and follow him; and not the multitude, custom, and use.

Consider, for God's sake, that if we gather not with Christ, we scatter abroad. What should it profit a man to win the whole world, and lose his own soul? We must not forget that this life is a wilderness, and not a paradise; here is not our home, we are now in warfare; we must needs fight, or else be taken prisoners. Of all things we have in this life, we shall carry nothing with us. If Christ be our captain, we must follow him as good soldiers. If we keep company with him in affliction, we shall be sure of his society in glory. If we forsake not him, he will never forsake us. If we confess him, he will confess us; but if we deny him, he will deny us. If we be ashamed of him, he will be ashamed of us. Wherefore, as he forsook Father, heaven, and all things, to come to us; so let us forsake all things, to come to him, being sure and most certain, that we shall not lose thereby. Your children shall find, and feel it double, yea treble, whatsoever ye lose for the Lord's sake; and ye shall find and feel peace of conscience and friendship with God, which is more worth than all the goods of the world.

My dearly beloved, therefore, for the Lord's sake, consider these things, which I now write unto you of love, for my Vale and last farewell for ever, in this present life. Turn to the Lord, repent ye your evil and unthankful life, declare repentance by the fruits, take time whilst you have it, come to the Lord whilst he calleth you, run into his lap whilst his arms are open to embrace you, seek him whilst he may be found, call upon him whilst time is convenient; forsake and fly from all evil, both in religion, and in the rest of your life and conversation; let your lights so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and praise God in the day of his visitation.

Oh, come again, come again, ye stray children, and I will receive you, saith the Lord. Convert and turn to me, and I will turn unto you; why will ye needs perish? As sure as I live,

sweareth the Lord, I will not your death, turn therefore unto me. Can a woman forget the child of her womb? If she should, yet will not I forget you, saith the Lord your God. I am he, I am he, who putteth away your sins, for mine own sake. Oh then, dear friends, turn, I say, unto your dearest Father; cast not these his sweet and loving words to the ground, and at your tail, for the Lord watcheth on his word to perform it, which is in two sorts; to them that lay it up in their hearts and believe it, will he pay all and eternal joy and comfort; but to them that cast it at their backs, and wilfully forget it; to them, I say, will he pour out indignation and eternal shame.

Wherefore, I heartily yet once more beseech and pray you and every of you, not to contemn this poor and simple exhortation, which now out of prison, I make unto you, or rather the Lord by me. Loth would I be, to be a witness against you in the last day, as of truth I must be if ye repent not, if ye love not God's gospel, yea, if ye live it not. Therefore, to conclude, repent, love God's gospel, live it in all your conversation; so shall God's name be praised, his plagues mitigated, his people comforted, and his enemies ashamed. Grant all this thou gracious Lord God, to every of us, for thy dear Son's sake, our Saviour Jesus Christ; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, be eternal glory, for ever and ever, Amen. The 12 of February, 1555.

By the bondman of the Lord, your afflicted poor brother. JOHN BRADFORD.

No. 66.*

To MASTER SHALLCROSS AND HIS WIFE, Dwelling in Lancashire.

THE peace of conscience in Christ, and through faith in his blood, which as it passeth, and is far better than any worldly riches or joy;

• Cov. 359.

so is it to be redeemed with the loss of the dearest treasures we have, rather than we should lose it; this peace I wish unto you good M. Shallcross, and unto your good yoke-fellow, my good sister in the Lord, now and for ever, Amen.

Hitherto, although I could not write unto you, yet as I trust you pray for me, so I have not been forgetful of you, in my poor prayers to Almighty God, my dear Father through Christ; to whom I give humble praises that he hath given you grace as yet, for so I hear, to keep yourself undefiled in his service, which far differeth from the Romish rags revived of late, and justly for our sins and unthankful using his true religion and holy ceremonies, once again and use amongst us,

in peace

In token whereof, I mean that I have not been forgetful of you, I thought good now when I may write, to signify the same, as well to renew our mutual love in God, and care for one another by hearty prayer; as to excite and provoke you both to thankfulness for God's graces hitherto, especially in the point before spoken of, and to be diligent and wary that you unto the end continue in the same; for you know that perseverance in godliness and purity, is required of us, and that none other shall be crowned but such as fight lawfully.

Go to, therefore, and fight on a good fight stoutly and manfully; that is, as you know God is not to be worshipped and served, but after his word written, and not after unwritten verities, or the device, fancy, and pleasures of men or women, in what state soever they be; accordingly behave yourself, as inwardly in God's sight, so outwardly before your brethren. Seem not to approve by your outward man, that which the inward man detesteth. It is not enough to believe with the heart, except the mouth and fact confess the same. Nor it is not enough with the mouth to acknowledge a verity, and by our fact and deed to destroy the same.

Paul speaketh sometimes of deniers of God, not only with their lips and tongue, but also with their deed and life. Let not the world, or the more part of men, be an example to you to follow them, or do as they do, in the service of God. Christ saith, Follow me, speaking of himself, who is the pattern and sampler we should set before us; and not the world or more part, which windeth the wide and broad way, whose end doth lead to perdition and

everlasting woe; but rather let the example of such as walk in the narrow and strait way, which bringeth to life endless, encourage you to walk with them, although the number of them be but few; and the personages of them be utterly contemned with the world, and in the world, which world cannot love, no, nor know indeed, the children of God, because it cannot receive the spirit of God. And therefore, as the ape her young ones, so it, the world I mean, doth think her own birds the fairest, contemning, with deadly hate, all others that will not follow her judgment.

But what saith Christ? Be of good cheer; although the world will persecute you, yet I have overcome the world. Oh, comfortable sentence, I have overcome the world. This undoubtedly he meaneth for you and me and all other his children, that he hath overcome the world for us. But by what means? Surely by suffering contempt, wrong, false reports, and even very shameful and most bitter death.

If he went this way, and won the victory this way, as I trust we know; let us as his servants, whose state ought not to be above our master's, not be dismayed of contempt, of wrong, of loss of goods or life itself; but rather joyfully suffer the same as men, knowing we have better portions in heaven, and that this is the sure way to victory most victorious; for by many tribulations must we enter into the kingdom of heaven; if we would come thither, except for tribulation's sake, we shall with ease, and worldly quietness, go to hell.

You know what Paul saith, All that will live godly in Christ Jesu, must suffer persecution; wherefore in that you are in Christ Jesu, I dare say you will continue, though persecution come to you, being assured that it cannot come, except God have so decreed; and if he have so decreed, then cannot you but receive it, or else a cross which will be much worse. Willingly therefore take what cross the Lord shall offer, and then the Lord will make you able to bear it, and never tempt you further than he will make you strong enough. Yea, all the hairs of your head he will number and keep, so that one of them shall not perish; but if you should refuse God's cross, especially in suffering the loss of any thing for his sake, who giveth you all the good that ever you have and keepeth it; if, I say, you refuse; be certain the plagues of God will be poured down, first on