Two notable sermons. Made by that worthy martyr of Christ Maister Iohn Bradford, the one of repentance, and the other of the Lordes supper neuer before imprinted. Perused and allowed according to the Queenes Maiesties iniunction

¶ TO THE CHRI∣stian Reader Tho. Sampson wisheth the felicity of spéedy and full con∣uersion to the Lord.

GOdly learned men doo wryte and publish bookes to profit the age in which they do liue, and the posteri∣tie. This desire was in the Authour of this treatise Maister Iohn Bradford, who was the Preacher and publisher of this Sermon of repentaunce. And now, to the ende that we which do liue in earth after him, and are the posteritie, may take as much or more profit by it then they dyd, to and for whom in his lyfe tyme he did both preach and publish it, the same hys labour is by new emprintyng published againe. Nothing is added to toys Ser∣mon, or altered in it: onely to the sermon of repentaunce before printed, is added an other Sermon of the Lords supper, which he also made, and was neuer printed be∣fore. And aptly shalt thou sée, good Rea∣der, these two Sermons ioyned together. For in diligent perusing of the last, thou shalt sée how necessarely he draweth the doctrine of repentaunce to them al, which

do with due preparation receiue the holy Sacrament of Christ. I doo not knowe which of the Sermons I shoulde most prayse. I wish that by reading both, thou mayest make thy great profite. In both these Sermons thou shalt reade Bradford preaching repentance with his own pen.

They are counted the most profitable Teachers, which haue themselues good experiance by practise in themselues, of that which they doe teach to others: such as may safely say, Brethren be ye folowers of me, and looke on them which walke so * 1.1 as ye haue vs for an example. And surely such a paterne was Maister Bradford in his lyfe tyme, of thys doctrine of repen∣taunce which in both these Sermons he teacheth, that I which did know him fa∣miliartye, must needes geue to God thys praise for hym, that among men I haue scarcely knowen ••oue lyke vnto hym. I dyd knowe when, and partlye howe it pleased God by effectuall callyng to turne his hart vnto the true knowledge and obedience of the most holy Gospell of Christ our Sauiour. Of which God dyd geue him such an heauenly hold and liuely

séeling, that as he did then know that ma∣ny * 1.2 synnes were forgeuen him: so surely he declared by déedes that he loued much. For where he had both giftes and calling to haue employed himselfe in ciuill and wordly affaires profitably, such was his loue of Christ, and zeale to the promoting of his glorious Gospell, that he chaunged not onely the course of his former, lyfe, as the woman dyd. Luke. 7. but euen his for∣mer study, as Paule dyd chaunge his for∣profession and study.

Touching the first, after that God tou∣ched his hart with that holy and effectual calling, he sold his chaines, rynges, broo∣ches, and iuels of gold which before he v∣sed to weare, and did bestow the price of this his former vanitie in the necessarye releife of Christes poore members, which he could heare of or fynde lying sicke or pining in pouertie. Touching the second, he so declared his great zeale and loue to promote the glory of the lord Iesus, whose goodnes and sauing health he had tasted, that to do the same more pithely, he chaū∣ged his studye, and being in the inner Temple in London at the studye of the

common lawes, he went to Cambridge to study Diuinitie, where he heard D. Mar∣tin Bucer diligently, and was right fa∣milyar and deare vnto hym. In thys godly course he dyd by Gods blessyng so profit, that that blessed Martyr D. Ridley then Bishop of London dyd as it were inuite hym and hys godlye Companion Maister Thomas Horton to become fel∣lowes of Penbrake hall in Cambrydge: And afterwardes the sayd D. Ridley cal∣led our Bradford to London, gaue him a Prebend in Paules church, lodged hym in his own house there, and set hym on worke in preaching. And besides often preachyng in London, and at Paules crosse, and sundry places in the countrey, and speacially in Lankeshire, he preached before King Edward the sixt, in the Lent the last yeare of his raygne, vpon the se∣cond Psalme, and there in one Sermon, shewing the tokens of Gods iudgement at hand for the contempt of the Gospell, as that certayne Gentlemen vpon the Sabboth day, going in a whirry to Pa∣ris garden to the Barebayting, were drowned: and that a Dog was met at

Ludg••te carping a péece of a dead chylde in his mouth, he with a mighty and pro∣pheticall spirite: sayd: I summon you all, euen euery mothers chylde of you, to the indegement of God, for it is at hand as it followed shortly after in the death of King Edward. In which state and la∣bour of preaching he continued tyll the cruelty of the Papistes ••ut him of: so an thou mayest reade in the historye of hys lyfe and death, compiled by that faythfull seruaunt of the Lord Iesus M. Iohn Fox.

In déede he had many pulbackes, but God styll helped forward his chosen ser∣uāt in that trade of lyfe to y^• which he had called hym: in which he ran forward so happely, that he did outrunne me & other hys companions. For it pleased God with great spéede ••s make hym ready and ripe to martyrdome: in which through Christ he hath now gayned the crowne of lyfe. But in all stops and stayes hee was much helped forward by a continual meditation, and practise of repentaunce and ••ayth in Christ, in which hee was kept by Gods grace, notable exercised all the dayes of his lyfe. Euen in this meane

time he heard a Sermon which that no¦ble Preather Maister Latimer made be∣fore King Edward the sixt, in which he did earnestly speake of restitution to be made of thinges falsely gotten: whych dyd so strike Bradford to the hart for one dash with a pen which he had made without the knowledge of his Maister (as full of∣ten I haue heard him confesse with plen∣tie of teares) beyng Clarke of the Trea∣surer of the Kynges campe beyonde the teas, & was to the deceiuing of the King, hat he could neuer be quyet tyll by the aduise of the same Maister Latimer a re∣stitution was made. Which thyng to bring to passe he did willingly forbeare and forgoe all the priuate and certaine patrimonie which he had in earth. Let all bribers & polyng offi••ers, which get to them selues great reuenues in earth by such slibbery shiftes, folow this example, lest in taking a contraryecourse, they take a contrary waye, and neuer come where Bradford now is.

But besides this, our Bradford had his dayly exercises and practises of repen∣tance, His maner was to make to hym

selfe a Cataloge of all the grossest & most enorme synnes which in his lyfe of igno∣rance he had committed, and to lay the same before hys eyes when hes went to priuate praier, that by the sight and re∣membraunce of them, he might be stirred vp to offer to God the sacrifice of a con∣trite hart, séeke assurance of saluation in Christ by faith, thanke God for his cal∣ling from the waies of wickednes, and praye for encrease of grace to bee con∣ducted in holy lyfe acceptable and plea∣sing to God. Such a continuall exercise of cōscience he had in priuate praier, that he did not count himselfe to haue prayed to his contentacion, vnlesse in it hee had felt inwardly some smyting of hart for synne, and some healing of that wound by faith, féeling y^• sauing health of Christ, with some chaunge of mynde into the de∣testation of synne and loue of obeying the good wyll of God. Which thinges do require that inward entring into the sa∣cret parler of our hartes, of which Christ speaketh, and is that smiting of the brest which is noted in the Publicane Math. 7 and is the same to the which the Psal

mist exhorteth those men loose in synne. Psalme. 4. 5. Tremble ye and synne not: speake in your selues, that is, enter in∣to an accompt with your selues, when you are on your couches, that is, when ye are solitary and alone, and be quiet or si∣lent, that is, when ye haue thus secretly and déepelye considereth of your case and dealing. ye shall cease to thinke, speake, and do wickedly. Without suche an in∣ward excerise of praier our Bradford dyd not pray to his full contentacion, as ap∣peared by this: He vsed in the morning to go to the common praier in the Col∣ledge where he was, and after that he v∣sed to make some praier with his Puplls in his chameer. But not content wyth this, he then repaired to his own secretd praier, and exercise in praier by himselfe, as one that had not yet praied to his own mynde. For he was wont to say to hys familiars: I haue prayed with my Pu∣pils, but I haue not yet prayed with my¦selfe. Let those secure men marke this well, which pray without touch of brest, as th•• Pharisey dyd: and so that they haue sayd an ordinary praier, or heard a

common course of praier, they think they haue prayed well, and as the terme is, they haue serued God well, though they neuer féele styng for synne, taste of gro∣ning or broken hart, nor of the swéete sa∣uing health of Christ, thereby to be mo∣ued to offer the sacrifice of thankes ge∣uing: nor chaunge or renuing of minde, but as they came secure in synne & sense∣les, so they do depart without any chaūge or affecting of the hart: Which is euen the cradle in which Satan rocketh the synnes of this age a sleepe, who thinke they do serue God in these cursory pray∣ers made onely of custome, when theyr hart is as farre from God as was the hart of the Pharisey. Let vs learne by Bradfordes example to pray better, that is, with the hart, and not with ihe lyps a∣loue: Quia Deus uon vocis sed cardis au∣ditor est, as Cyprin saith, that is, because God is the hearer of the hart, and not of the voyce, that is to say, not of the voyce alone without the hart, for that is but lyb labour. This conscience of syn and exercise in prayer had Bradford, cleane contrary to that cursed custome of those

graceles men, which do ioy to make large and long accompts of their lewdnes and glory therein, so feeling their delightes with their lyues passed, as the Dog re∣turneth to smell to his cast gorge, and the horse to hys dung: such as the Prophet ••say 39. sayth: They declare their syns as Sodome, they hide them not, wo be to their soules. It goeth with them as in the daies of Ieremiah it went with those. Iere. 3. 3 Thou haddest a whores forehead: Thon wouldest not be ashamed. God geue these men better grace, els let them be assured they shal find wo wo to their very soules.

An other of his exercises was this: He vsed to make vnto him selfe an Ephe∣meris or a Iournal, in which hee vsed to write all such notable thinges as either hee did sée or heare eche day that passed. But what so euer he did heare or sée, he did so pen it, that a man might sée, in that booke the signes of his smitten hart. For if he did sée or heare any good in any man, by that sight he found & noted the want thereof in hym selfe, and added a short prayer, crauing mercye and grace to a∣mende. If he dyd heara or sée any plague

or misery▪ he noted it as a thing procured by his own syns; and styl added: Domine miserere me••, Lord haue mercy vpon me. He vsed in the same booke to note such euyll thoughtes as did ryse in him, as of enuying the good of other men, thoughtes of vnthankfulnes, of not considering God in his workes, of hardnes and vnsensible∣nes of hart when he dyd sée other moued and affected. And thus hee made to him selfe and of himselfe a booke of daily prac∣tises of repentance.

Besydes this, they which were fami∣liar with him, might see how he being in their company, vsed to fall often into a sodaine and deepe meditation, in which he would syt with fixed countenaunce and spirite moued, yet speaking nothing a good space. And some times in thys silent sytting, plentye of teares should trickle downe his cheekes. Sometime he would sytinit, and come out of it with a smy∣ling countenaunce. Often times haue I sytten at dinner and supper with hym in the house of that godly harbourer of ma∣nye Preachers and Seruauntes of the Lorde Iesus, I meane Maister▪ Elsyng,

when either by occasion of talke had, or of some view of Gods benefites present, or some inward cogitation and thought of his own, he hath fallen into these déepe cogitacions, and he would tell me in the ende such discourses of them, that I eyd perceiue that somtimes his teares trick∣led out of his eyes, as well for ioy as for sorow. Neither was he onelye such a practiser of repentance in himselfe, but a continuall prouoker of others thereunto, not onely in publike preaching, but also in priuate conference and company. For in all companies where he dyd come, he would fréely reproue any synne and mys∣behauiour which appeared in any par∣son, especially swearers, filthy talkers, and popish praters. Such neuer depar∣ted out of his company vnreproued. And this he did with such a diuine grace and Christian maiestie, that euer he stopped the mouthes of the gaynsayers: For he spake with power, and yet so sweetely, that they might sée their euyll to be euyll and hurtfull vnto them, and vnderstand that it was good in déede to the which he laboured to draw them in God.

To be short, as his lyfe was, such was his death. His life was a practise, and ex∣ample, a prouocation to repentance. At his death, as the foresayd history witnes∣seth, when he was burned in Smitefield, and the flames of fire dyd slye about hys ••ares, his last spéech publiklye noted and heard was this: Repent England, Thus was our Bradford a Preacher and an ex∣ample of that repentance which he dyd preach. Ionas preached to Niniue repen∣tance, and al Niniue, the King, Princes, people, old and yong repented, To Eng∣land Bradford dyd peeache and yet doth preach repentaunce, and surely England hath now much more cause to repent then it had when Bradford lyued & prea∣ched repentance. For all states & sortes of parsons in England are now more corrupt shen they were then.

Let therefore now Bradfordes sermon, his lyfe, his death moue thée O England, to repent al thy peryll. I wish & warne, that as in Niniuie so in England, al from the highest to the lowest do vnfainedly repent: They which are of the Lourt, they which are of the Church, they whi••a

are of the Citye, they which are of the cuntrey, Princes, Prelates, and people: let all and euery one repent and depart from that euyll which he hath in hand, and turne wholy to the Lorde. And I do humbly beséech thy Maiesty, oh glorious Lord Iesus, which diddest come to blesse Israell, turniug euery one of them from their synnes, to worke now by thy spirite in our hartes the same sound repentance which the holynes dyd preache to men when thou saydest? Repent, for the king∣dome of God is at hand. This worke in vs, O gracious God our Sauionr. Amen. And uow Reader I leaue thée to the reading and practising of that re∣pentance which Bradford heare teacheth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••il. 3. 17.
• * 1.2

  Luke. 7.