Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

¶To Mistres M. H a godly gentlewoman, comfor∣tyng her in that common heauinesse and godly sorrowe: which the feelyng and sense of sinne worketh in Gods children.

I Humbly and hartily praye the euerlasting good God

and Father of mercy,* 1.1 to blesse and keepe your harte and minde in the knowledge and loue of his truthe, and of his Christ, through the inspiration and working of the holye spirite, Amen.

* 1.2Although I haue no doubt, but that you prosper and goe forwardes dayly in the way of godlinesse, more and more drawing towardes perfection, and haue no neede of anye thinge that I can write, yet because my desire is that you might be more feruent and perseuer to the ende, I coulde not but write something vnto you, beseechinge you both often and diligently to call vnto your minde, as a meane to stirre you hereunto, yea as a thing which God most straitly requireth you to beleeue, that you are belo∣ued of God, and that he is your deare father, in, through, and for Christ and his deathes sake. This loue and ten∣der kindnes of God towardes vs in Christe, is aboun∣dantly herein declared, and that he hath to y^e Godly work of creation of this world, made vs after his image, redee∣med vs being lost, called vs into his Churche, sealed vs with his marke and signe manuell of Baptisme, kept and conserued vs all the dayes of our lyfe,* 1.3 fed, nourished, de∣fēded and most fatherly chastised vs, and now hath kind∣led in our hartes the sparcles of his ••eare, fayth, loue, and knowledge of his Christ and truthe, and therefore wee la∣ment because we lament no more our vnthankfulnes, our fraylnes, our diffidence and wauering in thinges, where∣in we should be most certayne.

All these thinges wee shoulde vse as meanes to con∣firme our fayth of this, that God is our God and father & to assure vs that he loueth vs as our father in Christ: to this end (I say) we should vse the thinges before touched especially in that of all thinges GOD requireth thys faythe and fatherly perswasion of his fatherly goodnesse,* 1.4 as his chiefest seruice. For before he aske anye thing of vs, he sayth: I am the Lorde thy God, geuing himselfe, and then all he hath to vs to be our owne. And this he doth in respect of himselfe, of his owne mercy and and truthe, and not in respect of vs, for then were grace no grace. In con∣sideration whereof, when he sayth: Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me, thou shalt loue me with all thy harte. &c. though of duetie we are bound to accomplishe all that he requireth, and are culpable and giltie, if we doe not the same, yet he requireth not these thinges further of vs, then to make vs more in loue and more certayne of this his co∣uenaunt, that he is our Lord and GOD. In certayntye wherof, as he hath geuē this whole world to serue to our neede and commoditie: so hath he geuen his sonne Chryst Iesus, and in Christe, hymselfe to be a pledge and gage: whereof the holy Ghost doth now and then geue vs some taste and sweete smell to our our eternall ioy.

* 1.5Therefore (as I sayde) because God is your father in Christ, and requireth of you straitly to beleue it, geue your selfe to obedience, although you doe it not with suche fee∣lyng as you desire. First must faithe goe before, and then feeling will follow. If our imperfection, frayltie, and ma∣ny euils shoulde be occasions whereby Sathan woulde haue vs to doubte, as muche as we canne, let vs abhorre that suggestion,* 1.6 as of all others most pernicious: for so in deede it is. For when we stande in a doubte, whether God be oure Father, we cannot be thankefull to God, we can not hartily pray or thinke anye thyng wee doe acceptable to God, we can not loue our neighboures and geue ouer our selues to care for them, and doe for them as we should do, and therefore Sathan is most subtile hereaboutes, knowing full well that if we doubt of Gods eternal mer∣cies towardes vs through Christ, we cannot please God, or do any thing as we should do to man. Continually ca∣steth he into our memories our imperfectiō, frayltie, falles and offences, that we should doubte of Gods mercie, and fauour towardes vs.

Therefore my good sister, wee must not be sluggishe herein,* 1.7 but as Sathan laboureth to loosen our faythe: so must we labour to fasten it by thinking on the promyses and couenaunte of God in Christes bloude, namely that God is our God with all that euer hee hath: whiche coue∣naunte dependeth and hangeth vppon Gods own good∣nes, mercy and trueth onely, and not on our obedience or worthines in any poynt, for then should we neuer be cer∣tayne. In deede God requireth of vs obedience and wor∣thines, but not that thereby we might be his children and he our father,* 1.8 but because he is our father and we his chil∣dren through his owne goodnes in Christe, therefore re∣quireth he fayth and obedience. Now if we want this o∣bedience & worthines which he requireth, shuld we doubt whether he be our father? Nay, that were to make our o∣bedience and worthines the cause, and so to put Christ out of place, for whose sake God is our father: But rather be∣cause he is our father, and we feel our selues to want such things as he requireth, we shuld be styrred vp to a shame∣fastnes and blushing, because we are not as we should be: and thereupon should we take occasion to go to our father in prayer on this maner:

Deare father, thou of thyne owne mercye in Iesus Chryst hast chosen me to be thy childe, and therefore thou wouldest I should be brought into thy Churche and faythfull companye of thy children: wherein thou hast kept me hetherto,* 1.9 thy name ther∣fore be praysed. Now I see my self to want fayth, hope, loue. &c. whiche thy children haue and thou requirest of me, wherthrough the deuill would haue me to doubt, yea vtterly to dispayre of thy fatherly goodnes, fauour and mercy. Therefore I come to thee as to my mercifull father through thy deare sonne Iesus Christ, and pray thee to helpe me good Lorde: helpe me, and geue me fayth hope, loue, &c. and graunt that thy holy spirite may be with me for euer, and more and more to assure me that thou art my fa∣ther: that this mercifull couenaunt that thou madest with them respect of thy grace in Christ, and for Christ and not in respecte of any my worthines, is alwayes to me. &c.

On this sort (I say) you must pray and vse your cogi∣tations, when Satan would haue you to doubte of salua∣tion. He doth all he can to preuayle herein.* 1.10 Do you al you can to preuayle herein agaynst hym. Though you feel not as you wold, yet doubt not, but hope beyond all hope, as Abraham did. For alwayes (as I sayd) goeth fayth before feelyng. As certayne as God is almighty, as certayne as God is mercifull, as certayne as God is true, as certayn as Iesus Christe was crucified, is risen, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, as certayne as this is GODS commaundement: I am the Lord thy God. &c. so certayne ought you to be that God is your father. As you are boūd to haue no other Gods but hym, so are ye no lesse bound to beleue that God is your God. What profite shoulde 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be to you to beleue this to be true: I am the Lord thy God to others, if you shoulde not beleue that this is true to youre selfe? The deuill beleeueth on this sorte. And whatsoeuer it be that woulde moue you to doubte of this,* 1.11 whether God be your God through Christ, that same cōmeth vn∣doubtedly of the deuill. Wherefore did God make you, but because he loued you? Might not he haue made you blind dumbe, deafe, lame, frantike. &c. Might not hee haue made you a Iew, a Turke, a Papist. &c? And why hath hee not done so? verily because hee loued youe? And why dyd hee loue you? What was ther in you to moue him to loue you? Surely nothing moued him to loue you, and therefore to make you, and so hitherto to keep you, but his own good∣nes in Christ.* 1.12 Nowe then in that his goodnes in Chryste still remayneth as much as it was, that is, euen as great as hymself, for it cannot be lessoned: how shuld it be but y^t he is your God and father? Beleue this, beleeue this, my good sister, for God is no chaungeling: them whome hee loueth, he loueth to the end.

Cast therefore your selfe wholly vpon him, and think without all wauering, that you are Gods child, that you are a citizen of heauen, that you are the daughter of God, the temple of the holy Ghost. &c. If hereof you be assured as you ought to be, then shall your conscience be quieted, then shall you lament more & more that you want manye thinges which God loueth:* 1.13 then shal you labour to be ho∣ly in soule and bodye: then shall you go about that Gods glory may shyne in all your wordes and works: then shal you not be afrayd what man can doe vnto you: then shall you haue such wisedome to answere your aduersaries, as shall serue to their shame, and your comfort: then shal you be certayn y^t no man can touch one heare of your head fur∣ther then shall please your good father, to your euerlasting ioye: then shall you be moste certayne, that God as youre good father, will be more carefull for your Children, and make better prouision for them, if all you haue were gone then you can: then shall you (being assured I say of gods fauour towardes you) geue ouer your selfe wholy to help and care for others that be in neede: then shall you con∣temne this life, and desire to be at home with youre good and sweete father, then shall you laboure to mortifie all thinges that would spot eyther soule or bodye. All these thinges spryng out of thys certaine perswasion and faith, that God is our father, and we are his children by Christ Iesus. All thinges should help our fayth herein: but Sa∣than goeth about in all thinges to hinder vs.

Therefore let vs vse earnest and hartye prayer: let vs often remember thys couenaunt: I am the Lord thy God: let vs looke vpon Christ and hys precious bloud shed for the obsignation and confirmation of his couenaunt:* 1.14 let vs re∣member all the free promises of the Gospell: let vs set be∣fore vs Gods benefites generally in making this worlde, in ruling it, in gouerning it, in callyng and keepyng hys Churche. &c. let vs set before vs Gods benefites particu∣larly, howe hee hath made his creatures after his image,

howe hee made vs of perfecte lymmes, forme, beautye, memory, &c. how he hath made vs as Christians, and ge∣uen vs a right iudgement in his religion: how he hath e∣uer sithen we were b••rne, blessed, kept, nourished, and de∣fended vs: how he hath often beaten, chastised, and father∣ly corrected vs: how he hath spared vs & doth now spare vs, geuing vs tyme, space, place, grace. This if you doe & vse earnest prayer, and so flee from al things which might wound your conscience, geuing your selfe to diligence in your vocation, you shall finde at the length that (whiche God graunt to me with you) a sure certayntie of saluati∣on, without all suche doubte as may trouble the peace of conscience, to your eternall ioye, and comforte. Amen. A∣men.

Yours to vse in Christ, Iohn Bradford.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An other ghost∣ly letter of M. Bradford to Mistres M. H.
• * 1.2

  Anno 1555. Iuly.
• * 1.3

  Gods benefites to be declared.
• * 1.4

  The chiefest ser∣uice of God is to thinke well of his fatherly goodnes in Christ.
• * 1.5

  Where feeling fayleth: yet o∣bedience is re¦quired.
• * 1.6

  Let no suggesti∣on make vs doubte of Gods fauour in Christ.
• * 1.7

  To stay vpon Gods promise to christs bloud.
• * 1.8

  Obedience ge∣ueth not to vs to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Godschil∣dren but Gods ••hildren geueth obedience.
• * 1.9

  How a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 should 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whē feelin•• of Gods comfort lacketh.
• * 1.10

  Hope be∣yond hope▪ Faith goeth before fee∣ling.
• * 1.11

  Doubting commeth of the deuill.
• * 1.12

  Eccle. 1.
• * 1.13

  Fayth & as∣sured hope of Gods sa∣uour, is the fountaine of all well do∣ing.
• * 1.14

  Considera∣tion of Gods pro∣mises and benefites.