Propositions

I Beseech God, the Father of Jesus Christ, to give me his good spirit; in writing to give advice, and you in reading to receive it. Amen. Since the time that I received M. S. Letter, wherein he declared his careful compassion over your estate: I have been not a little grieved, because partly for want of a convenient messenger, and partly because of my manifold distractions with the like occurrences, and other weighty affairs, I have been hindered ⟨image 34⟩from writing hitherto unto you. And albeit even still I be in the same case, yet conscience towards God, & love and compassion towards you, forceth me to overcome lets, which hardly I could otherwayes prevail against. And albeit I cannot speak as I would, yet of that which I shall write, proceeding from the forenamed grounds; I look for some blessing of God through Jesus Christ: If you will not toe much faint in faith, and yield to the Adversary; yea if you will but hope so well of your self as (in the fear of God I write it) I hope of you. First, whereas it seemeth you are sometimes grieved, because you tarried not still at Cambridge, according to my advice; you must know, that I advised it not as a thing necessary, but more convenient as I then supposed; but yet as I advised you to obey your Father, if his pleasure still continued to have you home, whereunto you yielding, I cannot see how you offended, it being your Fathers pleasure you should so do. And who knoweth whether being here, you might not as much have been troubled, there being no privilege for persons and places in such cases. And who knoweth whether it be the Lords pleasure for ⟨image 35⟩