I haue not deserued it at either of your hands. For ye both know right wel, at least my cōscience doth accuse me, how that I haue not onely not exhorted & taught you, (as both my vocation and your deserts required) to walke worthy of that vocation which god hath made you worthy of, and with trēbling and feare to woorke out your saluation, that is, in the feare of God to geue your selues to great vigilā∣cie in praier for the encrease of faith, and to a wary circum∣spection in all your conuersation, not onely in works and woords, but also in thoughts, because God is a searcher of the heart, and out of the heart it commeth, that defileth vs in Gods sight: I haue (I say) not onely not done thys, but also haue geuen you example of negligence in praier, wat∣ching, fasting, talking and doing, so that woe to me for ge∣uing suche offence. Partly for this cause deare brother and sister, God hath cast me heere that I might repent me and turne to him, and that ye might also by this correction vp∣on me, be more diligent to redresse these things and others if they in your conscience doe accuse you.
My dearly beloued, heauy is Gods anger fallen vpon vs all: doulefull is this day. Nowe hath Antichrist all his power again. Now is Christes gospel troden vnder fote. Now is Gods people a derision and pray for the wicked. Now is the greatest plague of al plagues fallen, the want of Gods word: and al these we haue, yea I alone haue iust¦ly deserued. Oh that as I wryte (I alone) I could wt Da∣uid▪ 1. Par. 21. and with Ionas in heart say so. But I doe not, I do not I see not howe greeuously I haue sinned, & howe great a misery is fallen for mine vnthankefulnes for Gods worde, for mine hypocrisie in professing, preaching, hearing, and speaking of Gods word, for my not praying to God for the cōtinuance of it, for my not louing of it tho∣roughly as it requireth. &c. I will speake nothing of my manifest euils, for they are knowen to you wel enough.
Deare brother and sister, wyth me say yee the lyke for your owne partes, and with me ioyne your hearts, and let vs go to our heauenly father, and for his Christes sake be∣seeche him to be mercifull vnto vs, and to pardon vs: Oh good father it is we that haue deserued the taking away of thy woorde, it is we that haue deserued these thy iust pla∣gues fallen vpon vs, we haue done amisse, we haue dealt vniustly wyth thy Gospell, we haue procured thy wrathe, and therfore iust art thou in punishing vs, iust art thou in plaging vs, for we are very miserable. But good Lord and deare father of mercy, whose iustice is such, that thou wilt not punish the poore soules of thys realme, which yet haue not thus sinned against thee, as wee haue done (for manye yet neuer heard thy woorde) for oure trespasses, and whose mercy is so great, that thou wilt put our iniquities out of thy remembraunce for thy Christes sake, if we repent and beleue: graunt vs we beseech thee, true repentance & faith, that we hauing obtained pardon for our sinnes, may tho∣rough thy Christ get deliuerance from the tirannie of An∣tichrist now oppressing vs.
Oh good Father, whych haste sayde that the Scepter of the wicked should not long lie vpon and ouer the iust, least they put foorth their handes to iniquitie also: make vs iust, we pray thee in Christes name, and cut a sunder the cordes of them that hate Sion: let not the wicked people say, wher is their God? Thou our God art in heauen, and doest whatsoeuer it pleaseth thee vpon earth.
Oh that thou wouldest in the meane whiles, before thou doe deliuer vs, that (I say) thou wouldest open our eyes to see all these plagues to come from thee, & all other that shall come, what so euer they be, publicke or priuate, that they come not by chance nor by fortune, but that they come euen from thy hande, and that iustly and mercifully: iustly because we haue & doe deserue them, not only by our birth poysone still sticking and working in vs, but also by our former euill life past, whiche by thys punishment and all other p••nishmentes, thou wouldest haue vs to call to our remembraunce and to set before vs, that thou mightest put them from before thee, where as they stand so long as they are not in oure remembraunce, to put them awaye by repentaunce. Mercifully oh Lord God doest thou punish, in that thou doest not correct to kill, but to amend, that we mighte repent our sinnes, aske mercye, obtaine it freely in Christe, and beginne to suffer for righteousnesse sake: to be part of thy house, whereat thy iudgement beginneth: to be partakers of the afflictions of thy Church, and thy Christ, that wee might be partakers of the glorye of the same: to weepe here, that we might reioyce else where: to be iudged in this world, that we might with thy Saintes iudge here after ye worlde: to suffer with Christ, that we might raigne with him: to be like to Christe in shame, that we might be like to hym in glory: to receiue our euils here, yt we might with poore Lazarus finde rest else where: rest (I saye) and such a rest as the eye hath not sene, the eare hath not heard, nor the heart of man is able to conceiue.
Oh that our eyes were open to see thys, that the crosse commeth from thee to declare thy iustice & thy mercye, and hereto, that we might see howe short a time the time of suf∣fering is: how long a time the time of reioysing is to them that suffer heere: but to them that will not, how longe and miserable a time is appoynted and prepared: a time with∣oute time in eternall woe and perdition, too horrible to be thought vpon. From the which keepe vs deare father, and geue more sight in soule to see thys geare, and how that all thy dearest children haue caried the crosse of greeuous af∣fliction in this life: in whose cōpany do thou place vs, and such a crosse lay vpō vs as thou wilt make vs able to bear to thy glory and our saluation in Christ, for whose sake we pray thee to shorten the dayes of this our great misery fal∣len vppon vs most iustly, and in the meane season geue vs patience, repentaunce, faith, and thy eternall consolation. Amen. Amen. Amen.
And thus deare heartes I haue talked (me thinkes) a litle while wt you, or rather we haue all talked wyth God. Oh that God would geue vs his spirit of grace and pray∣er. My dea••ly beloued, pray for it, as for your selues, so for me, and that God would vouchsafe to make me worthy to suffer with a good conscience for his names sake. Pray for me, and I shall do the like for you. This 20. of December, by him whome by this bringer ye shal learne. I praye you geue me commendations to all that loue me in the Lorde. Be mery in Christe, for one daye in heauen we shall meete and reioyce together for euermore. Amen.