Writings.

Contents

Page.

A brief account of the Life of the Rev. John Bradford. 1

LETTERS OF MASTER JOHN BRADFORD

Preface to the Christian reader. 237

A fruitful sermon of Repentance. 241

A sermon upon the Supper of the Lord. 274

A fruitful Treatise, and full of heavenly consolation, against the

Fear of Death. 296

An exhortation to the patient suffering of trouble and affliction for Christ’s cause. Written to all the unfeigned profes¬ sors of the gospel throughout the realm of England,

at the beginning of his imprisonment, A. D. 1554. 312

A short and pithy defence of the doctrine of the holy election and predestination of God, gathered out of the first chapter of St. Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. Ad¬ dressed to a dear friend, and treating briefly but most

CONTENTS.

vii

Page.

perfectly, godly, soundly, and pithily, of God’s holy

election, free-grace,and mercy in Jesus Christ-.... 331

A brief summary of the doctrine of election and predestina¬ tion . 341

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

Address to the Reader .....

Instructions to be observed concerning Prayer ..

A meditation upon the twelve articles of the Christian Faith ..

A meditation upon the Commandments.

A meditation concerning prayer, with a brief paraphrase upon

the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer....

Another paraphrase or meditation upon the Lord’s Prayer....

A meditation on the coming of Christ to judgment, and of the

rewards both of the faithful and unfaithful...

A meditation concerning the sober usage both of the body

and pleasures in this life.*.

Another meditation to the same effect.

A meditation for the exercise of true mortification.

A godly meditation and instruction on the providence of God

towards mankind...

A meditation of the presence of God .

A meditation of God’s power, beauty, goodness, &c.

A meditation on death, and the advantages it brings...

A godly meditation upon the passion of our Saviour Jesus

Christ. ?

A confession of sins and prayer for the mitigation of God’s

wrath and punishment for the same.

Another confession of sins.

A prayer for the remission of sins .

Another prayer for remission of sins.

A prayer for deliverance from sin, and to be restored to God’s

grace and favour again ..

A prayer for the obtaining of faith.

A prayer for repentance ...

A godly meditation and prayer.

343 367 375

431 431

DAILY MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS.

When you awake out of your sleep.

As soon as you behold the daylight.

When you arise...

Vlu CONTENTS

Page.

When you dress yourself..... . # . 437

When you are made ready to begin the day. w # „ 43$

Cogitations proper to begin the day with.. 438

When you go forth out of doors . 440

When you are going any journey. 449

Another on the same... 44!

When you are about to receive your meat .. .. 441

In the meal-time..... 442

After your meat.. 443

Cogitations for about the mid-day time... 444

When you come home again... 444

At the sun’s going down. 444

When the candles are lighted. 445

When you undress yourself. 4lg

When you enter into your bed... 44$

When you feel sleep to be coming... 447

A most fruitful prayer for the dispersed church of Christ, very

necessary to be used by the godly in these days of affliction 448

Another prayer .. j

Another godly prayer to be read at all times .. 454

A

BRIEF ACCOUNT

OF

THE REV. JOHN BRADFORD,

Prebendary of St. Paul’s, and Martyr, A, D. 1555.

John Bradford was born at Manchester, of respectable parents, soon after the year 1510. He received a good educa¬ tion ; and when he arrived at manhood, he engaged in the service of sir John Harrington, one of the treasurers of king Henry the Eighth. Bradford was highly valued by his master for his ability and faithfulness, and was intrusted with the management of many important affairs.

His worldly prospects were good, but God was pleased to call him to the knowledge of the truth, and to implant in his heart a desire to engage in the ministry of the word. He therefore relinquished his situation, and applied wholly to the study of the Scriptures. And here the powerful effect pro¬ duced upon his mind by one of Latimer’s “ searching ser¬ mons” should be noticed. In the course of his official duties, Bradford had been induced to sanction an account, or in some manner was engaged in a transaction, with the remembrance of which his awakened conscience felt dissatisfied; and as he found that the person whose interest had been benefited thereby refused to make it good, he did not rest till he had made full restitution to the injured party, although to effect this he was compelled to give up his patrimony.

After studying some time in London, Bradford went to Cambridge, where he was much loved and esteemed. By the earnest persuasion of Bucer he was induced to enter into the ministry earlier than he had intended; and bishop Ridley immediately appointed him to a prebend in St. Paul’s. He preached in the metropolis with much acceptance during the

BRADFORD I. B latter part of the reign of king Edward VI. The sum and sub¬ stance of his discourses is thus described by Fox: “ Sharply he opened and reproved sin, sweetly he preached Christ cru¬ cified, pithily he impugned heresy and error, and earnestly he persuaded to godly life.”

When Queen Mary came to the throne, Bradford was one of the first who was marked for destruction, and the conduct of the Papists towards him is among the most atrocious actions of that cruel, persecuting reign. They were deeply sensible of his worth, and laboured more earnestly with him than with any other of the martyrs, to induce him to forsake the faith but their endeavours were in vain.

The particulars of their proceedings, and of his constancy in the truth, are related by Fox and other historians of that period. At length he was brought to the stake, and burned in Smithfield on the first of July, 1555, with a youth named John Leaf. At the place of suffering Bradford addressed the assembled multitude in these words, “ O England, repent thee of thy sins. Beware of idolatry, beware of false Antichrists. Take heed they do not deceive you.” The last words he was heard to utter were, “ Strait is the way and narrow is the gate that leadeth to eternal life, and few there be that find it.” The bystanders heard no more, but as one who has written concerning him observes, they saw that “ he endured the flame as a fresh gale of wind on a hot summer’s day.”

Bradford is one of the most spiritual and valuable writers among the British Reformers. In his works, “ he being dead yet speaketh.” His Letters in particular have always been highly prized; they will often be found to present more of the genuine truths of the gospel in a single page than is con¬ tained in whole volumes of later divines. As Fox observes,

44 They show how godly he occupied his time when a prisoner; what special zeal he bore to the state of Christ’s church; what care he had to perform his office; how earnestly he admonished all men; how tenderly he comforted the heavy-hearted; and how fruitfully he confirmed them whom he had taught.”

LETTERS

OF

MASTER JOHN BRADFORD.

A faithful Minister and pillar of Christ’s Church, by whose great labours and diligence in preaching and planting the sincerity of the gospel, by whose most godly and innocent life, and by whose long and painful imprisonments for the maintenance of the truth, the Kingdom of God was not a little advanced : who also at last most valiantly and cheerfully gave his blood for the same, on the 1st day of July, in the year of our Lord 1555.

LETTERS

OP

WRITTEN ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS.

[After the time that Bradford was condemned and sent to the Compter, it was purposed by his adversaries that he should be had to Manchester, where he was born, and there be burned ; whereupon he wrote to the City of London, thinking to take his last farewell of them in this letter. Fox.~\

LETTER I. To the City of London

To all that profess the gospel and the true doctrine of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the city of London ; John Bradford, a most unworthy servant of the Lord, now not only in prison, but also excommunicated and con¬ demned to be burned, for the same true doctrine, wishes mercy, grace, and peace, with increase of all godly know¬ ledge and piety, from God the Father of mercy, through the merits of our alone and all-sufficient Redeemer Jesus Christ, by the operation of the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.

My dearly beloved brethren in our Saviour Christ:— Although the time I have to live is very little, for I look hourly when I shall be conveyed into Lancashire, there to be burned, and, by the providence of God, to render my life where I first received it, by the same providence: and although the charge is great to keep me from all things whereby I might signify any thing to the world of my state; yet having, as now I have, pen and ink, through God : s working, notwithstanding the power of Satan and his soldiers, I thought good to write a short confession of my faith, and thereto join a little exhortation unto you all, to live according to your profession.

First, for my faith: 1 do confess, and pray all the whole congregation of Christ to bear witness with me of the same, that I believe constantly, through the gift and goodness of God, for faith is only God’s gift, all the twelve articles of the symbol or creed, commonly attributed to the apostles. This my faith I would gladly particularly declare and ex¬ pound, to confirm and comfort the simple; but, alas! by starts and stealth I write in the manner that I write, and therefore I shall desire you all to take this brevity in good part. And this faith I hold, not because of the creed itself, but because of the word of God, which teacheth and confirmeth every article accordingly. This word of God, written by the prophets and apostles, and contained in the canonical books of the holy Bible, I do believe to contain plentifully all things necessary to salvation, so that nothing, as necessary to salvation, ought to be added thereto; and therefore neither the Church of Christ, nor any of his con¬ gregation, ought to be burdened with any other doctrine, than that which hereout has its foundation and ground. In testimony of this faith, I render and give my life, being con¬ demned, as well for not acknowledging the antichrist of Rome to be Christ’s vicar-general and supreme head of his catholic and universal church, here or elsewhere upon earth; as for denying the horrible and idolatrous doctrine of transubstantiation, and Christ’s real, corporeal, and carnal presence in his supper, under the forms and acci¬ dents, (or appearance,) of bread and wine.

To believe that Christ our Saviour is the head pf his Church, and that kings in their realms are the supreme powers, to whom every soul oweth obedience. And to be¬ lieve that in the supper of Christ is a true and very pre¬ sence of whole Christ, God and man, to the faith of the receiver, but not to the stander by and looker upon, even as it is a true and very presence of bread and wine to the senses of men: to believe this,—I say,—will not serve; and therefore as a heretic I am condemned, and shall be burned; whereof I ask God heartily for mercy that I do no more rejoice than I do, having so great cause, as to be an instrument wherein it may please my dear Lord God and Saviour to suffer.

For albeit my manifold sins, even since I came into prison, have deserved at the hands of God, not only temporal fire, i.J To the City of London.

but also eternal fire in hell, much more my former sinful life, which the Lord pardon for his Christ’s sake, as I know he of his mercy hath done, and that he never will lay mine iniquities to my charge, to condemnation; so great is his goodness, praised therefore he his holy name! Although, I say, my manifold and grievous late sins have deserved most justly all that man or devil can do unto me ; and therefore I confess that the Lord is just, and that his judgments are true and deserved on my behalf: yet the bishops -and prelates do not persecute them in me, but Christ himself, his word, his truth, and religion. And therefore I have great cause, yea, most great cause, to re¬ joice that ever I was born, and hitherto kept of the Lord; that by my death, which is deserved for my sins, it pleases the heavenly Father to glorify his name, to testify his truth, to confirm his verity, to oppugn his adversaries. O good God and merciful Father! forgive my great unthankfulness, especially herein.

And you, my dearly beloved, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, I humbly and heartily in his bowels and blood do now, for my last farewell in this present life, beseech you and every one of you, that you will consider this work of the Lord accordingly. First by me be admonished to beware of hypocrisy and carnal security; profess not the gospel with tongue and lips only, but in heart and verity ; frame and fashion your lives accordingly; beware that God’s name be not evil spoken of, and the gospel still less regarded by your conversation. God forgive me, that I have not so heartily professed it as I should have done, but have sought myself much therein. The gospel is a new doctrine to the old man; it is new wine ; and there¬ fore cannot be put in old bottles, without more hurt than good to the bottles. If we will talk with the Lord, we must put off our shoes and carnal affections; if we will hear the voice of the Lord, we must wash our garments and be holy; if we will be Christ’s disciples, we must deny our¬ selves, take up our cross, and follow Christ; we cannot serve two masters. If we will seek Christ’s kingdom, we must seek for the righteousness thereof. To the petition. Lei thy kingdom come, we must join, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. If we will not be doers of ;he word, but hearers of it only, we sorely deceive our¬ selves. If we hear the gospel, and love it not, we declare ourselves to be but fools, and builders upon the sand.

The Lord’s Spirit hateth feigning; deceitfulness the Lord abhorreth; if we come to him we must beware that we come not with a double heart; for then may chance that God will answer us according to the block which is in our heart, and so we shall deceive ourselves and others.

See that we couple a good conscience to faith, lest We make a shipwreck. To the Lord we must come with fear and reverence. If we will be gospellers, we must be Christ’s; if we be Christ’s, we must crucify our flesh with the lusts and concupiscences thereof; if we will be under grace, sin must not bear rule in us. We may not come to the Lord, and draw nigh unto him with our lips, and leave our hearts elsewhere, lest the Lord’s wrath wax hot, and he take from us the good yet remaining. In no case can the kingdom of Christ approach unto them that repent not. Therefore, my dearly beloved, let us repent and be heartily sorry that we have so carnally, so hypocritically, so covet¬ ously, so vain-gloriously professed the gospel. For all these I confess of myself, to the glory of God, that he may cover my offences in the day of judgment. Let the anger and plagues of God most justly fallen upon us, be applied to every one of our deserts, that from the bottom of our hearts every one of us may say, It is I, Lord, that have sinned against thee; it is my hypocrisy, my vain-glory, my covet¬ ousness, uncleanness, carnality, security, idleness, unthank¬ fulness, self-love, and such like, which have deserved the taking away of our good king,* of thy word,and true religion, of thy good ministers by exile, imprisonment, and death ; it is my wickedness that causes success, and increase of au¬ thority, and peace to thy enemies. Oh, be merciful, be mer¬ ciful unto us. Turn to us again, O Lord of hosts, and turn us unto thee ; correct us, but not in thy fury, lest we be consumed in thine anger; chastise us not in thy wrathful displeasure; reprove us not, but in the midst of thine anger remember thy mercy. For if thou mark vhat is done amiss, who shall be able to abide it? But with thee is mercifulness, that thou mightest be worshipped. Oh then be merciful unto us, that we may truly worship thee. Help us, for the glory of thy name; be merciful unto our sins, for they are great: Oh, heal us, and help us for thine honour. Let not the wicked people say, Where is their God, &c..

On this sort, my right dearly beloved, let us heartily * King Edward VI.

To the City of London .

bewail our sins, repent us of our former evil life, heartily and earnestly purpose to amend our lives in all things, continually watching in prayer; diligently and reverently attend, hear, and read the holy Scriptures, and labour after our vocation to amend our brethren. Let us reprove the. works of darkness. Let us flee from all idolatry. Let us abhor the antichristian and Romish rotten service, detest the popish mass, renounce their Romish god, prepare our¬ selves to the cross, be obedient to all that are in authority, in all things that are not against God, and his word ; an¬ swering with the apostles, It is more meet to obey God than man. Howbeit, never for any thing resist, or rise against the magistrates. Avenge not yourselves, but commit your cause to the Lord, to whom vengeance belongs, and he m his time will reward it. If you feel in yourselves a hope, and trust in God that he never will tempt you above that which he will make you able to bear, be assured the Lore will be true to you; and you shall be able to bear all brunts. But if you want this hope, flee and get you hence, rather than, by your tarrying, God’s name should be dishonoured. _ . . r „

In sum, cast your care upon the Lord, knowing tor most certain, that he is careful for you; with him are all the hairs of your head numbered, so that not one ot them shall perish without his good pleasure and will : much more, then, nothing shall happen to your bodies, which shall not be profitable, however for a time it seems otherwise to your senses. Hang on the providence of God, not only when you have means to help you, but also when you nve no means, yea, when all means are against you. ive him this honour, which, of all other things, he most chiefly requires at your hands ; namely, believe that you are his children through Christ, that he is your Father and God through him, that he loves you, pardons you all your offences, he is with you in trouble, and will be with yuu for ever When you fall, he will put his hand under, you shall not lie still. Before you call upon him he hears you : •he will finally bring you out of evil, and deliver you to his eternal joy. Doubt not, my beloved, herein, doubt not, i say • God your Father will do this for you, not for respect of yourselves, but for respect of Christ your captain your pastor, your keeper; out of whose hands none slia e able to catch you ; in him be quiet, and often consider your dignity; namely, how that you are Gods children, the b B 3

Bradford .— Letters .

saints of God, citizens of heaven, temples of the Holy Ghost, the thrones of God, members of Christ, and lords over all.

Therefore be ashamed to think, speak, or do any thing; that should be unseemly for God’s children, God’s saints, Christ s members, &c. Marvel not though the devil and the world hate you, though you are persecuted here, for the servant is not above his master. Covet not earthly riches, fear not the power of man, love not this world, nor the things that are in this world; but long for the coming of the Lord Jesus, at which time your "bodies shall be made like unto his glorious body: when he appeareth you shall be like unto him ; when your life shall thus be revealed, then shall you appear with him in glory.

In the mean season live in hope thereof. Let the life you lead be in the faith of the Son of God: for the just doth live by faith, which faith flees fi’om evil, and follows the word of God as a lantern to her feet and a light to her steps. Her eyes are above, where Christ is ; she beholds not the things present, but rather things to come ; she glories in affliction, she knows that the afflictions of this life are not to be compared to the glory that God will reveal to us and in us. Of this glory God grant us here a lively taste; then shall we run after the scent it sendeth forth. It will make us valiant men to take to us the kingdom of God, whither the Lord of mercy bring us in his good time, through Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, three persons and one God, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

My dearly beloved, I would gladly have given here my body to be burned, for the confirmation of the true doc¬ trine 1 have taught here unto you; but that my country must have it. Therefore I pray you take in good part this signification of my good-will towards every of you. Im¬ pute the want herein to time and trouble. Pardon me mine offensive and negligent behaviour when I was amongst you. With me repent and labour to amend. Continue in the truth which I have truly taught unto you by preaching in all places where I have come, God’s name therefore be praised. Confess Christ when you are called, what¬ soever comes thereof; and the God of peace be with us all. Amen. This 11th of February, anno 1555.

Your brother in bonds for the Lord’s sake,

John Bradford.

To Cambridge .

J1

LETTER IL

To the University and Town of Cambridge .

To all that love the Lord Jesus and his true doctrine in the university and town of Cambridge, John Bradford, a most unworthy servant of the Lord, now not only impri¬ soned, but also condemned for the same true doctrine, wisheth grace, peace, and mercy, with increase of all godliness from God, the Father of all mercy, through the bloody passion of our only Saviour Jesus Christ, by the lively working of the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.

Although I look hourly when I should be had to the stake (my right dearly beloved in the Lord), and although the charge over me is great and strait; yet having, by the providence of God, secretly pen and ink, I could not but signify unto you something of my solicitude which I have for you and for every one of you in the Lord, though not as I would, yet as I may. You have so often and openly heard the truth disputed and preached, especially in this matter wherein I am condemned, that it is needless to do any more than to put you in remembrance of the same; but hitherto you have not heard it confirmed, and as it were sealed up, as now you do and shall hear by me, that is, by my death and burning. For albeit I have deserved eternal death and hell fire through my uncleanness, hypocrisy, avarice, vain-glory, idleness, unthankfulness, and carnality, whereof I accuse myself, to my confusion before the world, that before God, through Christ, I might find mercy, as my assured hope is that I shall. Albeit, I have deserved much more than this affliction and fire prepared for me : yet, my dearly beloved, it is not for these, or any of these things, wherefore the prelates persecute me, but for God’s verity and truth; yea, even Christ himself is the only cause and thing whereof I am now condemned, and shall be burned as a heretic, because I will not grant the antichrist of Rome to be Christ’s vicar-general and supreme head of the church here, and everywhere upon earth, by God’s ordinance; and because I will not grant such cor¬ poreal, real, and carnal presence of Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament as doth transubstantiate the substance of bread and wine, and is received by the wicked, yea, even by dogs and mice. Also I am excommunicated, and counted as a dead member of Christ’s Church, as a rotten branch, and therefore shall be cast into the fire.

Therefore you ought heartily to rejoice with me, and to give thanks for me. that God, the eternal Father, hath vouchsafed our mother* to bring up any child in whom it would please him to magnify his holy name as he doth, and I hope, for his mercy and truth’s sake, will do in me and by me. Oh ! what such benefit upon earth can there be as that I, which deserved death by reason of my sins, should be delivered for a demonstration, a testimony, and confirmation of God’s verity and truth ! Thou, my mother, the University, hast not only had the truth of God’s word plainly manifested unto thee, by reading, disputing, and preaching publicly and privately, but now to make thee altogether excuseless, and, as it were, almost to sin against the Holy Ghost, if thou put to thy helping hand with the Romish rout to suppress the verity and set out the con¬ trary, thou hast my life and blood as a seal to confirm thee, if thou w r ilt be confirmed, or else to confound thee, and bear witness against thee, if thou wilt take part with the prelates and clergy, which now fill up the measures of their fathers which slew the prophets and apostles, that all the righteous blood, from Abel to Bradford, shed upon earth, may be required at their hands.

Of this therefore I thought good before my death, as time and liberty would suffer me, for the love and duty I bear unto you, to admonish thee, good mother, and my sister the town, that you would call to mind from whence you are fallen, and study to do the first works. You know, if you will, these matters of the Romish supremacy, and the antichristian transubstantiation, whereby Christ’s sup¬ per is overthrown, his priesthood annulled, his sacrifice frustrated, the ministry of his word unplaced, repentance repelled, faith fainted, godliness extinguished, the mass maintained, idolatry supported, and all impiety cherished: you know, I say, if you will, that these opinions are not only besides God’s word, but even directly against it; and therefore to take part with them is to take part against God, against whom you cannot prevail.

Therefore, for the tender mercy of Christ, in his bowels and blood I beseech you to take Christ’s eye-salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see what you do and have done in admitting, as I hear you have admitted, yea, alas!

ii.] To Cambridge.

authorized, and by consent confirmed, the Romish rotten rags, which once you utterly expelled. Oh ! be not a dog returned to his vomit. Be not the washed sow returned to her wallowing in the mire. Beware, lest Satan enter in with seven other spirits, and then thy last state shall be worse than the first. It had been better you had never known the truth, than after knowledge to run from it. Ah! woe to this world and the things therein, which has now so wrought with you. Oh ! that ever this dirt of the devil should daub up the eye of the realm. For thou, O mother, art as the eye of the realm. If thou be light and shine, all the body shall fare the better; but if thou the light be darkness, alas! how great will the darkness be! What is man, whose breath is in his nostrils, that thou shouldst thus be afraid of him !

Oh! what is honour and life here ? Bubbles. What i§ glory in this world but shame?—Why art thou afraid to carry Christ’s cross ? Wilt thou come into his kingdom, and not drink of his cup ? Dost thou not know Rome to be Babylon ? Dost thou not know, that as the old Baby¬ lon had the children of Judah in captivity, so hath this Rome the true Judah, that is, the confessors of Christ? Dost thou not know, that as destruction happened unto it, so shall it do unto this? And supposest thou that God will not deliver his people, now when the time is come, as he did then? Has not God commanded his people to come out from her, and wilt thou give example to the whole realm to run unto her? Hast thou forgotten the woe that Christ threatens to offence-givers? Wilt thou not remember that it were better that a millstone were hanged about thy neck, and thou thrown into the sea, than that thou shouldst ofFend the little ones ?