Divine consolations for mourners in Sion being an extract of certain choyce epistles of dying martyrs to each other and to their fellow prisioners for the cause of Christ, in the times of cruell and fiery persecution, wherein is much variety of suitable matter of meditation for all such who are burthened under the pressure of their sins and sorrows in these evil times.

To my dear Brother Henry Adlington, Prisoner in the Lollards Tower.

THe everlasting peace of God in Iesus Christ, the continual ayd, strength, joy and comfort of his most pure, holy and mighty Spirit with the increase of Faith and lively feeling of his Mercies, be most eff••ctuously wrought in your heart, my dear and faithful loving Brother A••ingto••, and in the hearts of all your other godly Prison fellows, to the full finishing of that good work which the Lord hath most graciously begun in you, that the same may be to the setting forth of his glory, the commodity of his poor affli∣cted Church, and to your own eternal joy and comfort in him. Amen.

My most dear and faithful loving Brother in our Lord, I with all the rest of my loving Brethren here with me, do most humbly and heartily commend us unto you, with all faithful Remembrance of you in our daily prayers, giving God earnest thanks on your most happy behalf, for that he hath given you such hearty boldness and Christian constancy in the faithful confession of his everlasting Verity. Blessed be God for thee, my dearly beloved Brother, which hath vouched thee worthy of so great a dignity, as to suffer for his sake, and the setting forth of his glory. Oh glad in heart mayest thou be, to whom it is given, not onely to believe in thy Lord and Christ most lively; but also to suffer for his sake, as one of his silly sheep appointed to the slaughter. Be of good com∣fort therefore my good Brother, for your Calling unto the Cross of Christ, was after a marvellous sort: surely it was onely the Lords appointment, and therefore he will well perform his own work in and upon you to the great magnifying of his glory, and comfort of your Brethren, whose hearts are mightily refresh••d, to hear how heartily you have behaved your self hitherto. This present day I received a letter from you, at the reading whereof my Brethren and I were not a little comforted, to see your Conscience so quieted in Christ, and your continuance so stedfast in him: which things be the special gifts of God, not given unto every man, but to you his

dear darling, Elect, and chosen in Christ, and such as you be. And whereas you do require to know my simple minde concerning your answer unto Dr. Story and the Chancellor: Truly I say you did answer them very well; for there are but two Sacraments indeed, that is to say, the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, as you have full well answered them: Praised be God for his good gifts, who chuseth the weak, to confound the strong, and the foolish to confound the worldly wise. If when you come before them again, they do ask you what a Sacrament is; say you, That a Sacrament, being ministred accor∣ding to Christs Institution, is a visible Sign of an invisible Grace, and hath the promise of Gods Mercy annexed unto it, available to all such as do worthily receive it, and not unworthily worship it: as they would have us to do, contrary to Gods Commandment. And these properties belonging to Christs true Sacraments, cannot be applyed to any one of those five Sacraments which they have invented of their own brain, since Antichrist began to reign, to blinde the people withal.

I perceive dear heart, that upon Friday they do intend to Con∣demn you, and to give you your Judgement. Therefore I think they w••ll have no great reasoning with you, but bid you answer them directly, either Yea, or Nay, to all such things as they have to charge you withal, which they have gathered of you since you came into their cruel hands. But if they will needs make many words with you, because you are but a simple man, and therefore perchance they will be the busier with you to trouble you with many questions, to cumber your knowledge, and then seem to triumph over you, and that truth that you do hold: if (I say) they do this (as perhaps for some evil purpose they will) then be you so plain and short as you can, saying roundly unto them these or such like words, as nigh as you can.

Be it known unto you, that I in all points do believe as it becometh a true Christian, and as I have been truly taught in the dayes of that good King Edward, of such godly Preachers and Prophets sent of God, as have sealed their Doctrine with their Blood; from whom I will dissent in no point: for I am a poor man without learning, but am commanded

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of God to follow the counsel of his constant Preachers, and so do I in∣tend to do, God giving me grace and assistance thereto. As for you, I know you to be none of Christs Shepherds, but ravening Wolves, which come to kill and scatter the Flock of Christ, as the Lord said you should; and do••h will us to beware of you and your poisoned Doctrine, bidding us to judge you according to your fruits, whereby all men may see and know what you be, that will not be wilfully blinde. But the good Shepherds have given their lives for the defence of Christs Flock; and I am commanded to follow their faithful and godly example, and to confess with them one Truth, even to the fire, if God shall see it good: and this as a true Christian I have hitherto done, and henceforth by Gods grace intend for to do. And if for the same, God shall suffer you to take away my life, as you have done theirs, I am contented therewith: His will be done, for that onely is good. But of this be you sure, the Lord will shortly call you to account for all the innocent blood that is shed with∣in this Realm; which you have brought into a most woful case, and made many a heavy heart in the same, and moe I perceive you will make, so long as the Lord for our sins will suffer you to prosper, and untill the time that your own iniquity be full ripe. But then be you sure the Lord will sit in Judgement upon you, as well as you do now upon his Saints, and will reward you according to your deservings: To whom with my whole heart I commit my cause, and he will make answer for me, when the full time of my refreshing cometh. In the mean space I will keep silence with this that I have said, trusting that I have sufficiently discharged my conscience in confessing my Faith and Religion to you, declaring of what Church I am, even of the Catholick Church of Jesus Christ, which was well known to be here in England in our late good Kings dayes, by two special to∣kens which cannot deceive me, nor suffer me to be deceived; that is to say, The pure Preaching of his holy Word, and the due administration of the holy Sacraments, which is not to be seen in your Romish Church, and therefore cannot be called the Church and Spouse of Christ. I believe in the holy Trinity, and all the other Articles of the Christian Faith con∣tained in the three Creeds, and finally all the Canonicall Scripture to be true in every sentence: and I detest all Sects both of Arrians and Ana∣baptists, or any other that divide themselves from the true Church of Christ, which is his Mysticall Body, the Ground and Pillar of Truth,

and the very House of the living God. And if for these things you take away my life, and make your selves guilty of my Blood, you may: for I am in your hands, as the Sheep brought to the Shambles, abiding the grace of the Butcher. And be you sure, your judgement sleepeth not, but when you cry Peace, peace, and all is safe, then shall your plagues be∣gin like the sorrows of a woman travelling with childe, according to Christs infallible Po••mise.

This kinde of answer, my dear heart, it shall be best for you to make, and by Gods grace I do intend to take the same order my self in time to come, when the Lord shall vouch me worthy of that great dignity, whereunto he hath called you. And if they shall laugh you to scorn, as I know they will, saying thou art a Fool, and an unlearned Ass-head, and art able to make answer to nothing. &c. care not you for it, but still commit your Cause unto God, who will make answer for you; & tell them that they have bin answered again and again of divers godly and learned men: but all will not help, for you have one solution for all manner of que∣stions, even a fair Fire and Fagots: this will be the end of your disputations. Therefore I pray you to trouble me no more, but do that which you are appointed, when God shall permit the time. I am no better then Christ, his Apostles, and other of my good Brethren that are gone before me.

This kinde of answer will cut their combs most, and edifie the people that stand by, so that the same be done coldly with sobrie∣ty, meekness and patience; as I heard say our sweet Brethren Tho∣mas Harland and John Oswald did at Lewes in Sussex, to the great rejoycing of the children of God that were in those parts: and I heard say, that they were dissolved from this earthly tabernacle at Lewes on Saturday last, and were condemned but the Wednesday before: so that we may perceive the Papists have quick work in hand, that they make such haste to have us home to our heavenly Father. Therefore let us make our selves ready to ride in the fiery Chariot, leaving these sorry Mantles and old Clokes behinde us for a little time, which God shall restore unto us again in a more glorious wise.

My good Brother Harry, you shall understand that bragging

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John T. hath beguiled his Keepers (who trusted him too well) and is run away from them, and hath brought the poor men into great danger by the same. The one of them is cast by the Councils Commandment into the Gate-house at Westminster; the other is fled forth of the Country for fear. Thus you may see the fruits of our Free-will men, that made so much boast of their own strength. But that house which is not builded surely upon the unmoveable Rock, will not long stand against the boisterous winds and storms, that blow so strongly in these dayes of Trouble.

But my dearly beloved Brother, blessed be God for you, and such as you be, which have played the parts of wise Builders. You have digged down past the sand of your own natural strength, and beneath the earth of your own worldly wisdome, and are now come to the hard Stone and unmoveable Rock Christ, who is your onely Keeper; and upon him alone you have builded your Faith most firmly, without doubting mistrust or wavering There∣fore neither the storms nor tempests, winds nor weathers that Satan and all his wily workmen can bring against you, with the very Gates of Hell to help them, shall ever be able once to move your House, much less to overthrow it: for the Lord God himself, and no man, is the Builder thereof, and hath promised to preserve and keep the same safe for ever. Unto his most merciful defence therefore, I do heartily commit you and all your good company, desiring him for his sweet Son Jesus Christs sake, to confirm and strengthen you all, that you may be constant unto the very end; that after the final victory is once gotten, you may receive the immercessible Crown of Glory, of Gods free gift, through his great mercy in Jesus Christ our alone Saviour. To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, glory praise, thanks, power, rule and domi∣nion, for ever and evermore. Amen. The Blessing of God be with you all.

John Careles.

Notes

• What a Sacra∣ment is.
• He instructeth him how, and what to Answer to the adversa∣ries.
• We are bound to follow ••ur true Preachers.
• God wil require accoūt of blood.
• 1 Thes. 5.
• 2 Chron. 2.