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 my deare and faythfull brother VV. Tymmes prysoner in Newgate.

THe euerlasting peace of god in Iesus Christ, with y^e cōtinual ioy, comfort, & strength of his swete spirit, be multiplied, & daly more & more encreased in your good hart (my most fayth∣ful & dere brother Tymmes) to the ful quie∣tyng of your conscience, and beating backe of al the fiety dartes of the wycked, that you maye shortly re∣ceaue the glorious crowne of victory, and in the same try∣umphe ouer all your enemies foreuermore, Amen.

I cannot expresse the excedyng great ioy & consolation of my poore hart, considering the meruelous workes of God most gratiously wrought vpō you, not only in prouing you & tryeng your faith by his great & huge crosses both inward¦ly and outwardly, but also in geuyng you so great consola∣tion & constancy in the middes of the same. Faithful is god & true of his promises, who hath said that he wil neuer suffer

his chosen children to be tēpted aboue their strength, but in the middes of their temptatiō wil make an outscape for thē, by such meanes as may make to his glory and their euerla∣styng consolation. My deare hart, great cause haue you to be of good comfort, for I see in you as lyuely a token of Gods euerlasting loue & sauour in Iesus Christ, as euer I percei∣ued in any man. In respect wherof I do euē with my hart, loue, honour and reuerence you, besechyng god for his glo∣rious names sake, in y^e bowels & blood of our lord and only Sauiour Iesus christ, to finish his good worke in you, as I doubt not but he wil do, according to his vnfallible promy∣ses: yea I am wel assured therof, forasmuch as you haue so effectuallye receiued his holye spirite into your harte, as a pledge & sure seale of your eternal redēption, & a testimonye of your adoptiō in Christ Iesu. For which cause Sathan so sore enuieth you, that he hath now bente all his fierce ordy∣naunce against you, thinking therby vtterly to destroy the inuincible forte of your faith founded most firmely vpon the vnmoueable rocke christ, against the which, the deuil, sinne, nor yet hell gates shal neuer preuaile, Selah.

Therfore mine owne bowels in the lord, be not dis∣comforted for this your conflicte, which doutles shal great¦ly encrease your crowne of glorye, triumphe, and victorye: but take a good hart vnto you, and buckle boldly with Sa∣than both in himself and in his suttle mēbers. It is the ve∣ry diuine ordinaunce of god, that all his regenerate children shalbe tempted, proued and tried: as we see by the exāple of our Sauiour Christe, who as sone as he was baptised, was straight waies led of the holy ghost into the wildernes, ther to be tēpted of the deuill. But there got he such a glorious victory of Satan, that he could neuer since finally preuaile against any of his poore mēbers, but in euery assault that he maketh either inwardly or outwardly, he getteth a foile and taketd shame: so y^t now he rageth with al the spite possible, specially because he knoweth his tyme is but short. Saincte Iames testifieth that he is but a very coward, that wil sone flye if he be faithfully resisted. And as for his temptinge tooles, the Lord hath made them manifest vnto vs, so that he cannot deceiue vs, though he assaulte vs: for as Sainte Paule saythe, hys verye thoughtes are not vnknowen to vs, as it dothe in you largely appeare, praysed bee the

Lordes name therfore.

You see deare brother, that now to molest you & suche as you are, y^t be euen passyng frō this vale of misery, he hath but two waies, or two pieces of ordinance to shoote at you, wyth the whiche he cannot hurte you because you haue two bulwarkes to defend you. The first of these terrible gunnes that Sathan hath shotte at you, is the very same that he con¦tinually shooteth at me, that is to say feare and infidelity for the vglesomnes of death, & horrour of my sinnes, which be so many, greuous, and greate. But this pellet is easily put away with the sure shield of faith in the most precious death and bloodsheding of our deare Lord and only Sauiour Ie∣sus Christ, whome the father hath geuen vnto vs wholy to be oures for euermore, & wyth him hath geuen vs al things, as Paule saith: so that though we be neuer so great sinners, yet Christ is made vnto vs holines, righteousnes and iusti¦fication. He hathe clothed vs wyth all hys merites, mercies and most swete sufferyngs, and hath taken vnto hym al our misery, wretchednes, synne and infirmitie. So that if anye should nowe be condemned for y^e same, it must nedes be Ie∣sus Christ, which hath taken them vpō him. But in dede he hath made satisfactiō for thē to the vttermost iote: so that for his sake thei shal neuer be imputed to vs, if they wer a thou∣sād times so many moe as they be. This do you most effectu¦ously feele and know, dere brother, a great deale better then I can tel you, blessed be God therefore.

And now Sathan, seyng that he cannot preuaile wyth hys boistrous battery against this bulwarke of fayth, which doth so quenche al his fiery dartes that they can do you no harme, but rather do you good seruice to cast you down vn¦der the mighty hand of God, that he may take you vp by his only grace & power, & so you may render hym al the glo∣ry by Iesus Christ, (which thyng the enemy cannot abyde in no wise) therfore he shooteth of his other piece most pe∣stilent, to prouoke you to put some parte of your truste and confidence in your selfe, & in your own holines & righteous∣nes, y^t you might that way robbe god of hys glory, Christ of his honour and dignity of his death. But blessed be y^e Lord God, you haue also a full strong bulwarke to beate backe

this pestiferous pellet also, euen the pure law of god, which proueth the best of vs al dānable sīners in the sight of god, if he would enter into iudgement with vs, accordyng to y^e seue¦rity of the same, & that euen our best workes are polluted & defyled in such sort, as the Prophet describeth them. Wyth which maner of speakyng, our freewyl Phariseis are muche offended: for it felleth all mans righteousnes to the groūde (I had lyke to haue sayd to the botome of hel) and extolleth only the righteousnes of Iesus Christ, which is allowed be∣fore god, & is frely geuen to all those that firmely beleue, as blessed be god you do.

Ah my good brother Tymmes, Satan hath put his hand in a wrong boxe when he beginneth to tempt you, either to vayne glory or mystrust: for you are an olde beaten souldi∣our, and haue had good experience of these maner of tempta¦tions both by your selfe & other, whom you know wel were the beloued of god. Be of good chere therfore, deare harte, be of good chere, for now Satan hath wrought al hys malice: he hath done al y^t he can, and hath shotte of al hys last pieces wherw^t he had thought to haue done most mischief: but now he seeth he can not preuaile (y^e strong tower of your fayth be∣yng so inuincible) he wyll plucke vp al hys tentes, and gette him to some other place to practise the like assaultes: and then wil the aungels of god come and minister vnto you y^e most swete and heauēly consolations of the holy ghost. To him therfore who is able to do exceding aboūdātly aboue al y^t euer we can desire or thinke, I do most hartely cōmit you, with al the rest of your godly prison fellowes, who comfort strengthen, and defend you wyth hys grace and mighty o∣peratiō of his holy spirit, as he hath he therto done, y^t you ha¦uing a most glorious victory ouer the suttle Serpēt and all his wicked sede, may also receiue y^e crown of glory & immor¦talitie prepared for you before y^e foūdations of y^e world wer laid, & is so surely kept for you in y^e hands of him whose pro∣mise is vnfaflible, that the Deuill, sinne, death, or hell shall neuer be able to depriue you of the same. The blessyng of God be with you now and for euermore, Amen. Pray, pray, pray, for me.

Your owne for euer, Iohn Careles.

Notes

• Iames. 4.
• 2. Cor. 3
• Esay. 64.