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.

An other letter to Maister Richarde Hopkins then Shriefe of Couentrye and prysoner in the Fleete for the faythfull and constant con∣fessing of gods holy Gospell.

DEarelye beloued in the Lorde, I wyshe vnto you, as vnto myne owne brother, yea as to myne owne harte roote, Gods mercye and the feeling of the same plentifullye in Christe our sweete Sauioure, who gaue hym selfe a raunsome for oure synnes, and price for oure redēption, praysed therefore be hys holy name for euer and euer. Amen.

I will not goe aboute to excuse my selfe for not sending vnto you hetherto sufferynge for the Lordes sake as you doe, to the comforte of me and of all that loue you in the truth: but rather accuse my selfe both before GOD and you, desirynge you of forgeuenesse, and with me to praye to GOD for pardon of thys my vnkynde forgettinge you, and all other my synnes, whiche I beseche the Lorde in his mercye to doe awaye for hys Christes sake, Amen. Nowe to make amends to your ward, I would be glad if I could,

but bycause I cannot, I shall hartely desire you to accepte the will, and thys whiche I shall nowe wryte vnto you, thereafter: I meane, after my will and not after the dede, to accept and take it. At this present my deare hart in the lord you are in a blessed state, although it seme otherwise to you, or rather vnto your olde Adam, the which I dare now bee so bolde as to discerne frō you, because you would haue him not only discerned, but also vtterly destroyed. For if god be true, then is his word true. Now his word pronounceth of your state that it is happie, therfore it must nedes be so. To proue this I thinke it nede not: for you know that the holy ghost sayth, that they are happie which suffer for righteous∣nesse sake, & that Gods glorye and spirite resteth on them which suffer for conscience to God. Now this you can not but know, that this your suffering is for righteousnes sake and for conscience to god wards, for els you might be out of trouble euē out of hand. I know in very dede that you haue and feele your vnthankefulnes to god and other sinnes, to witnes to you that you haue deserued this prisonment, and lacke of libertie betwixt god & your self, and I would you so would confesse vnto god in your prayers, with peticion for pardon & thankesgeuing for his correcting you here. But you know y^t the Magistrates do not persecute in you youre sinnes, your vnthankefulnes &c. but they persecute in you Christ himselfe, his righteousnes, his veritie, and therefore happie be you that haue founde such fauour with God your father as to accompt you worthy to suffer for his sake in the sight of man: surely you shal reioyce therfore one daye with a ioy vnspeakeable in the sight of man also.

You may thinke your self borne in a blessed time, that haue found this grace with God, to be a vessel of honour to suffer with his Saints, yea with his sonne. My beloued, god hath not done so with many. The Apostle saith not many noble, not many riche, not many wise in the world hath the Lord god chosen. Oh then what cause haue you to reioyce, that a∣mongest y^e not many he hath chosen you to be one. For thys cause hath God placed you in your office, that therefore you might y^e more see his special dignation & loue towards you. It had not been so greate a thing for Maister Hopkins to haue suffred as Maister Hopkins, as it is for M. Hopkins

also to suffer as Maister Shrefe. Oh happie day y^t you were made Shrefe, by the whiche, as God in this worlde woulde promote you to a more honourable degree, so by suffering in this roume he hath exalted you in heauen & in the sighte of his church & children, to a much more excellent glory. When was it redde, that a Shrefe of a citie hath suffred for y^e Lords sake? Where reade we of any shrefe that hath bene cast in pri∣son for conscience to godwardes? How could god haue delt more louingly with you then herein he hath done? To the end of the world it shall be written for a memoriall to youre prayse that Richard Hopkins Shrefe of Couentry for con∣science to do his office before god, was cast in y^e Flete & there kept prisoner a long time. Happie, & twyse happy are you, if herefore you may geue your life. Neuer could you haue at∣tayned to this promotiō on this sort out of that office. How do you preach nowe, not onely to all men, but speciallye to Magestrates in this realme? Who would euer haue thought that you should haue bene y^e first Magestrate y^t so: Christes sake should haue lost any thing? As I sayd before therefore I saye agayne, that your state is happie. Good brother be∣fore god I write the truth vnto you, may conscience hearing me witnes, that you are in a most happy state with the lord and before hys sight.

Be thankefull therfore, reioyce in your trouble, praye for pacience, perseuer to the ende, let pacience haue her perfecte worke. If you wante this wisedome and power, aske it of god, who will geue it to you in his good time. Hope still in him, yea if he should slay you, yet trust in him with Iob, and you shal perceaue that y^e end wil be to find him merciful & ful of cōpassion: for he will not breake promyse with you, which hetherto did neuer so with any. He is with you in trouble: he heareth you calling vpō him, yea before you cal your de∣sires are not only knowen, but accepted through Christ. If now and then he hide his face from you, it is but to prouoke your appetite, to make you the more to long for him. Thys is most true, he is a comming and will come, he wil not bee long. But if for a time he seme to tary, yet stand you stil and you shall see the wonderfull workes of the Lorde. Oh my beloued, wherfore should you be heuie? Is not Christ Ema∣nuel god with vs? shal you not finde y^t as he is true in say∣ing,

in the world you shal haue trouble: so is he in saying, in me you shal haue cōfort? He doth not sweare only that trou∣ble wil come, but withal he sweareth that cōfort shal ensue. And what comfort? such a comfort as y^e eye hath not sene, the eare hath not heard, nor the hart of man can conceaue. Oh great comfort: who shall haue this? Forsoth they that suffer for y^e lord. And are not you one of thē? Yea verely are you. Then as I saide, happie, happie, and happie againe are you my dearly beloued in the Lord. You nowe suffer w^t the lord, surely you shall be glorifyed with him. Cal vpon God ther∣fore now in your trouble and he wil heare you, yea deliuer you in such sort as most shall make both to his & your glory also. And in this calling I hartely pray you to praye for me your fellowe in affliction. Now we be both going in y^e high way to heauen, for by many afflictions must we enter in the∣ther: whether god bring vs for his mercies sake, Amē, Amē.

Your fellowe in affliction. Iohn Bradforde.

Notes

• 1. Cor. 8
• Iacob. i.
• 1. Cor. 2