A frutefull treatise and ful of heauenly consolation against the feare of death Wherunto are annexed certeine sweet meditations of the kingdom of Christ, of life euerlasting, and of the blessed state & felicitie of the same. Gathered by that holy marter of God, Iohn Bradford.

¶ A Prayer, whiche Ihon Bradford sayd a lit∣tle before his death in Smithfelde

MErcifull God and Father, to whom our sauiour christ approched in hys feare and nede, by reason of death, & founde comforte: gracious God & most bounteous Christe, on whō Stephen called in hys extreame neede, & receiued strength: moste beninge holy spirite, which in the middest of all crosses & death, did∣dest comfort the apostle s. Paule, with more consolations in christ, then he felt sorrowes & terrours in the worlde: haue mercy vppon me a most miserable, vile & wret∣ched

sinner, which nowe drawe nere the gates of death deserued both in soule & body eternally, by reson of my manifold horrible, old & newe transgressions, which to thine eyes (O lorde god) are opē and kuowen. Oh be merciful vn∣to me, and forgeue me for the bit∣ter death and bloud sheddinge of thine onely sonne Iesus Christe. And thoughe thy Iustice do re∣quire in respect of my sinns, that nowe thou sholdest not heare me, contemning thy dayly callinges: yet let thy mercy, which is aboue all thy works, and wherwith the earthe is filled, let thy mercy (I say) preuayle towardes me, tho∣row the merites & mediation of christ our sauiour, for whose sake it pleaseth thee to bringe me forth now, as one of his witnesses, &

a record bearer of thy verity and trueth taught by him, to geue my life therfore. To which dignity I do acknowledge (deare god) that there was neuer anye so vnwor∣thy and vnmeete, no not the thefe that hāged with him on y^e crosse. I humbly therfore pray thee that thou wouldest accordingly, ayde, helpe, & assist me with the strēgth and heauenly grace, y^t with christ thy sonne I may finde comforte, with Stephen I may see thy pre¦sence and gracious power, wyth Paule and all others, whych for thy names sake haue suffred afflic¦tious and death, I maye finde so present with me thy gracious cō∣solation, that I may by death glo¦rify thy holy name, set forth & ra∣tify thy verity, comforte y^e hartes of the heauy, confirme thy church

in thy truth, cōuert some that are to be conuerted, and so depart out of this miserable world (wher I do nothing but dayly heape sinne vpon sinne) and enter into the fru¦ition of thy blessed mercy: wherof now geue & increase in me a liue∣ly taste, sense, and felinge, wher∣through the terrour of death, the torments of fier, the pains of sin, y^e darts of Sathan, & the dolours of hell, may neuer ouercome mee: but may be driuen away through the working of that most graci∣ous spirite: whych now plēteous∣ly endue me withal, that through the same spirite I maye offer (as nowe I desire & am redye to do) in christ & by him, my self wholy, soule and body, to be a liuely sacri¦fice, holy & acceptable in thy sight (deare father) whose I am & al∣waies

haue ben, euen frō my mo¦thers wombe, yea, euen before y^e world was made: to whō I com∣mende my selfe, faith & name, fami¦lye & frendes, countrey, and al the whole church: yea, euen my very ennemies, accordinge to thy good pleasure: besechinge thee entierly to geue once more to this realme of Englande, the blessinge of thy worde againe, with godly peace, to the teaching and settinge forth of the same. Oh deare Father, now geue me to come vnto thee: purge & so purify me by this fier, in Christes death and passiō, tho∣rowe thy spirite, that I may be a burnte offeringe of swete smel in thy sight, which liuest & raygnest with the Sonne & the holy ghost nowe and foreuermore, worlde without ende.

Amen.

Notes

• Math. 26
• Actes. 7.
• 2. Cor. 1.