Certain most godly, fruitful, and comfortable letters of such true saintes and holy martyrs of God, as in the late bloodye persecution here within this realme, gaue their lyues for the defence of Christes holy gospel written in the tyme of their affliction and cruell imprysonment.

To Maistres I. H. a faythfull woman and fearyng God, whom he exhorteth to bee paci∣ent vnder the crosse & not to feare death.

MY dearly beloued, I besech our mercifull father to comfort your heauie and pensiue hart with his own cōsolations in Christ, as I am assured he will in his good time: which with pacience loke for (good sister) after the example of Iob, Helias, Abrahā, and al the deare Sainctes of God, whiche are set forth vnto vs for patrons of pacience: god graunte vs well to cutte oure clothe after them, for God is the same God nowe, and the ende will shewe that he is a mercifull Lorde and full of compassion. My deare sister you shall vn∣faynedly feele it at the length, though presently it semeth o∣therwise vnto your sense: you shall, after you be a litle exer∣cised herein, finde a quiet fruite of righteousnes, the God of grace which hath called you vnto hys eternal glorye, confir∣ming & strengthning you, being some deale afflicted w^t your brethren and sisters that be in the worlde, for alone you suf∣fer not as I truste you knowe. It comforted me to reade in your letters that no displeasure of father, mother, husband, children &c. doth moue you to be ruled after the counsell of the worlde, and therefore you will me not to bee afearde for you. Oh my beloued what thankes shoulde I geue to our god and deare father for thys hys excedyng kindenes towards you? His name be magnified for you for euer: his mercy be more and more multiplyed vnto you, in you & vp∣on you for euer and euer, Amen. God make me thankefull herefore. But you adde that y^e feare of death doth now and then moue you a little. Howbeit you saye, that as I haue counseyled you, you wyll stryue there agaynste. My good Ioyce I take you at your woorde, keepe promyse I praye you, that is, stryue agaynste it, and I promyse

you in the name of the Lord, that you shall haue the victo∣rie, which I woulde wishe you to set before your eyes also, & so shall the terrour of death trouble you the lesse. Souldi∣ers goinge to warre, set not before their eyes simplye the stripe, but rather the victorye: and my good sister will not you herein followe them? In your trauaile with childe doth not the hope of the babe to be deliuered, mitigate the mala∣dye? Doth not the sicke in taking bitter and lothsome Phi∣sicke set before him the commoditie which wil ensue? And my deare sister, wil not you by these be somthing enformed? Consider what this life is: consider what death is: consi∣der what is prepared for you after death. Concerning thys life, you knowe that it is full of miserye, vanitie and woe: it is a playne exile and hath nothing in it permanente. It is therfore compared to a vapor, to a smoke, to a shadowe, yea to a warrefare, a wildernes, a vale of wretchednes, wherein we are compafed on euery side with moste fearce and feare∣full enemyes: and shoulde we desire to dwell here? Should we lust to liue in this lothsome and laborious life? Shoulde we wyshe to tarrie in thys wretchednes? Shoulde we haue pleasure to remaine in thys perillous state? Daniells denne is not so dreadfull as is this dongeon we dwell in.

Concerning death to them that be (as I knowe you are) Gods deare children, my tenderlye beloued sister, what other thynge is it then the dispatcher of all displeasure, the ende of al trauaile, the doore of desires, the gate of gladnes, the porte of paradyse, the hauen of heauen, the rayle of reste and quietnes, the entraunce to felicitie, the beginnyng of all blisfulnes. It is the very bedde of doune (and therefore wel compared to a sleepe) for the doulefull bodies of Gods peo∣ple to reste in, oute of the whiche they shall rise and awake moste freshe and lustye to life euerlasting. It is a passage to the Father, a chariot to heauen, the Lordes messenger, a leader vnto Christ, a going to oure home, a deliueraunce from bondage and prison, a dimission from warre, a securi∣tie from all sorrowes, and a manumission from all miserye. So that the very heathen dyd in some places cause the daye of their death to be celebrated with myrth, melody and min∣strelsie,

and should we be dismayde at it? Shoulde we be a¦frayde of it? Should we tremble to heare of it? Should such a frend as it is, be vnwelcome? Should the foulnes of hys face feare vs from his good conditions? Should the harde∣nes of his huske hinder vs from his swete cornell? Shoulde the roughnes of y^e tide tie vs to the bancke and shore, there to be drowned, rather then the desire of oure home dryue vs to go aburde? Shoulde the hardnes of the saddle set vs on our feete to perish by the waye, rather then to leape vp and endure the same a litle, and so to be where we woulde be?

Concerning that which is prepared for you after death, if I shoulde go about to expresse it, the more I should so do, the further I should be from it. For the eye hath not seene, neither the eare hath heard, nor the harte of man is able to conceaue in any poynte, the ioye, myrth, melodye, pleasure, power, welth, riches, honour, beautie, fellowshippe, deyn∣ties, odours, glorye, wisedome, knowledge, threasures, se∣curitie, peace, quietnes and eternall felicitie, which you shal haue and enioye world without ende, with God y^e Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, with the Aungels, Archan∣gels, with the Patriarckes and Prophetes, with the Apo∣stles and Euangelistes, with the Martyrs and Confessors, and with all the Saintes of God in the Palace of the Lorde in heauen, the kingdome of God, the glorye of the Father. Oh woe to the blyndnes of our eyes that see not this: Woe to the hardnes of our hartes that feele not this: Woe to the deafnes of our eares that heare not thys in suche sort as we should do: wherthrough we might be so farre from fearyng death, that rather we shoulde wish it, crying with Simeon: Now let thy seruaunt depart in peace: With Paul, I desire to be desoulued and to be with Christ: With Dauid, when shall I come and appeare before thee? And agayne: Oh woe is me that my habitation is thus prolonged &c. But halas deare sister, great is oure vnbeliefe. Full faynte is oure fayth, or elles nyghte and daye teares shoulde be oure bread and drinke, whilest it is sayde vnto vs, where is your GOD? It is a token of little loue to God, to bee loth to goe vnto hym when he calleth. If my dearest frende, of a

speciall fauoure and tender good will, shoulde sende a horse for me to come vnto hym, shoulde I bee displeased there∣at? yea shoulde I not bee willynge and gladde to come vn∣to hym? And halas, yet if death the Lordes palfreye, the Lordes messenger shoulde come, I thynke I should not bee so readye, but be fearefull as you foresee your selfe to be. Wherethroughe I doubte not but you take occasion to la∣ment the weakenes of youre fayth, and seeing your neede, to prepare for remedye agaynste the tyme of nede, and to begge of GOD hys ayde, strength and comforte agaynste that pintche, whiche vndoubtedly you shall haue, and fynde hys promyse true, that in an acceptable tyme he heard your prayer. Suche as I am, haue no suche foresighte of death, and therefore are lesse presentlye dismayde, which wil turne to oure greater griefe in the plunge, saue that for my part, I hope he will neuer tempte me further then he will make me hable to beare. Into hys handes I offer my selfe, bese∣chyng hym for hys Christes sake to keepe me soule and bo∣dye to hys kyngdome and glorye, and to lead me, order me, and dispose me as he will in all thynges, in all places and for euer, that at the length I may come whether I wil, that is into hys owne blessed presence and fruition of immorta∣litie with you and hys Sainctes, Amen. Thus muche I thoughte good to write vnto you for thys presente, to occa∣sion you the lesse to feare death, which eyther needeth not or boteth not: and therefore euen reasonable men, muche more spiritual mē, labour to striue against the feare of that which they can by no meanes auoyd. But of thys hereafter I trust mouth to mouth to speake with you. Now as to my soule, I praye and wyshe vnto you my most deare sister in y^e Lord, whose grace guyde you, and his mercy embrace you on eue∣ry side for euer, Amen.

Yours Iohn Bradford

Notes

• Iames. 5.
• Heb. 12
• 1. pet. 5
• Psa. 119.
• Psal. 41.