A comfortable Letter of Master BRADFORD to his Mother, a godly Matron, dwelling in Manchester, and to his Brethren and Sisters, and others of his Friends there. OUR dear and sweet Saviour Jesus Christ, whose prisoner at this present (praised be his name therefor!) I am, preserve and keep you my good mother, with my brothers and sisters, my father John Traves, Thomas Sorrocold, Lawrence and James Bradshaw, with their wives and families, &c. now and for ever, Amen. I am at this present in prison, sure enough for starting, to confirm that I have preached unto you: as I am ready (I thank God) with my life and blood to seal the same, if God vouchsafe me worthy of that honour. For, good mother and brethren, it is a most special benefit of God, to suffer for his naine sake and Gospel, as now I do; I heartily thank him for it, and I am sure that with him I shall be partaker of his glory, as Paul saith, if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. Therefore be not faint-hearted, but rather rejoice at the least for my sake, which now am in the right and high way to heaven, for by many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of heaven. Now will God make known his children. When the wind doth not blow, then cannot a man know the wheat from the chaff: but when the blast cometh, then flieth away the chaff, but the wheat remaineth, and is so far from being hurt, that by thewind it is more cleansed from the chaff, and known to be wheat. Gold, when it is cast into the fire, is the more precious; so are God's children by the cross of affliction. Always God beginneth his judgment at his house; Christ and the Apostles were in most misery in the land of Jewry, but yet the whole land smarted for it after so now God's children are first chastised in this world, that they should not be damned with the world, for surely great plagues of God hang over this realm. Ye all know, that there was never more knowledge of God, and less godly living and true serving of God. It was counted a foolish thing to serve God truly, and earnest prayer was not passed upon; preaching was but a pastime, the communion was counted too common; fasting to subdue the flesh was far out of use, alms was almost nothing; malice, covetousness, and uncleanness, were common every where, with swearing, drunkenness, and idleness. God therefore now is come, as you have heard me preach; and because he will not damn us with the world, he beginneth to punish us, as me for carnal living. For as for my preaching, I am most certain it is and was God's truth, and I trust to give my life for it by God's grace; but because I love not the Gospel truly, but outwardly, therefore doth he thus punish me; nay, rather in punishing blesseth me. And indeed I thank him more of this prison than of any parlour, yea, than of any pleasure that ever I had; for in it I find God my most sweet good God always. The flesh is punished, first to admonish us now heartily to live as we profess; secondly, to certify the wicked of their just damnation, if they repent not. Perchance you are weakened in that which I have preached, because God doth not defend it as you think, but suffereth the popish doctrine to come again and prevail; but you must know, good mother, that God by this doth prove and try his children and people, whether they will unfeignedly and simply hang on him and his word. So did he with the Israelites, bringing them into a desert after their coming out of Egypt; where (I mean the wilder ness) was want of all things in comparison of that which they had in Egypt. Christ, when he came into this world, brought no worldly wealth nor quietness with him, but rather war. The world (saith he) shall rejoice, but ye shall mourn and weep, but your weeping shall be turned into joy; and therefore happy are they that mourn and weep, for they shall be comforted. They are marked then with God's mark in their foreheads, and not with the beast's mark, I mean the Pope's shaven crown, who now with his shavelings rejoice; but woe unto them, for they shall be cast down, they shall weep and mourn. The rich glutton had here his joy and Lazarus sorrow, but afterwards the time was changed. The end of carnal joy is sorrow. Now let the whoremonger joy with the drunkard, swearer, covetous, malicious, and blind buzzard Sir John; for the mass will not bite them, neither make them to blush, as preaching would. Now may they do what they will, come devils to the church, and go devils home, for no man must find fault, and they are glad of this; now they have their heart's desire, as the Sodomites had when Lot was gone; but what followed? Forsooth when they cried, Peace, all shall be well, then came God's vengeance, fire and brimstone from heaven, and burnt up every mother's child; even so, dear mother, will it do to our Papists. Wherefore fear God, stick to his word, though all the world swerve from it. Die you must once, and when or how, can you not tell. Die therefore with Christ, suffer for serving him truly and after his word; for sure may we be, that of all deaths, it is most to be desired to die for Christ's sake. This is the most safe kind of dying; we cannot doubt but what we shall go to heaven if we die for his name sake. And that you shall die for his name sake, God's word will warrant you, if you stick to that |