THe louyng kyndnes and aboundant mercy of God the father, poured plentifully vpon all the faythfull, in the bloud of that meeke Lambe Iesus Christ our onely satis∣faction and mediator, thorough the working of the most holy spirite, be encreased and perceiued in you daily more and more, to the glory of God, &c.
Because I stand both in doubt of the readyng and de∣liuerie of such letters as I write and send vnto you (dere∣ly beloued father Traues) I am constrained to leaue of such griefes and spirituall wantes, as thankes vnto the Lord I vnwillingly feele, for the flesh as you knowe, lo∣ueth nothyng so much as securitie of all enemies most pe∣rillous, and not a little familiar with me, from the which, with vaine glory, hypocrisie, &c. and worldlines, the Lord deliuer me. I had not thought to haue writen thus much, but these I cannot keepe, but commit them to your pray∣ers. And to the intent I would you should not thinke a∣ny ingratitude in me, as also that I might geue you occa∣sion to write to me agayne, as heretofore I haue done, e∣uen so doe I enterturbe & trouble you wt my babling, but yet hauyng this cōmoditie, that I babble not so much as I was woont to do. The cause I haue declared, which had almost bene the cause I had not written at all. I did write vnto you from London when I came hither, sende mee word what letters you haue receiued, for from you I haue receiued but two, and both by Iohn Mosse, and in the lat∣ter I perceiued that the Lord had visited you with sicke∣nes, his fatherly rod, whereby he declareth his loue vpon you, and that he careth for you vt in tempore supremo exul∣tes nunc ad breue tempus afflictus quo exploratio fidei multo praeciosior auro quod perit & tamen probatur, &c Siquidem in hoc vocatus es vt cum Christo patiaris nam & illo glorificabe••is. Certus enim sermo est si sufferimus & conregnabimus. You know that Christ etsi filius Dei erat tamen ex his quae pastus est didicit obedientiam. Patientia opus perfectum habeat vt si∣tis perfecti, & integri nulla{que} in parte diminuti, and dothe not patientia come of probatio, the one then you had, so that you were goyng a schoole to learne the other, with lerned what want you: the ende of all Gods proouing, is as Paule sayth, vt impartiat nobis sanctimoniam: igitur gratias age Deo patri qui idoneum te fecit ad participationem sortis sanctorum in lumine, &c. Nam qui te parumper afflixit idem instauret te fulciet roboret stabiliat. And the Lord knoweth how eripere pios è testatione, and that in tempore oportuno euen shortly, for haud tardat qui promisit nam modicum tempus & videbitis me veniens enim veniet non tardabit. Itaque qui consortes estis crucis Christi gaudete sayth Peter, vt in reuelatione quoque gloriae eius gaudeatis exultantes. O how doth my will ouer runne my wit. Why Bradford whom writest thou vnto? Thou shewest thy selfe. Thus father Traues you may see my rashnes to rable out the scriptures without purpose, ryme, or reason. I will not blot it out as I had thought to haue done, for that hereby you shall see my neede of your prayer. Well, I looke for a watchword from you. Write for