A04917:143
A godly letter sent too the faithful in London, Newcastle, Berwick, and to all…A godly letter sent too the fayethfull in London, Newcastell, Barwyke, and to all…
A godly letter sent too the faithful in London, Newcastle, Berwick, and to all other within the realm off England, that love the co[m]minge of our Lord Jesus by John KnoxA godly letter sent too the fayethfull in London, Newcastell, Barwyke, and to all other within the realme off Englande, that loue the co[m]minge of oure Lorde Iesus by Ihon Knox
Rome: printed by J. Lambrecht? for H. Singleton, 1554
Title page typeset from the transcription.
¶Here after followeth a Confession¶Here after foloweth a Confession
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
¶Here after followeth a Confession
¶Here after foloweth a Confession
Omnipotent and everlasting God father of our LORD Jesus Christ who be thy eternal providence / disposes kingdoms / as best seameth to thy wisdom / we acknowledge and confess thy judgements to be righteous in that thou hast taken from us / for our ingratitude and for a busing of thy most holy word / our native King & earthly comforter / justly may thou pour forth upon us the uttermost of thy plagues / for that we have not known the days and time of our merciful visitation / we have contemned thy word / and despised thy mercies / we have transgressed thy laws / for deceitfully have we wrought every man / with our neighbours oppression and violence we have not abhorred / charity / hath not appeared among us as our profession requireth / we have little regarded the voices of thy prophets / thy threatenings we have esteemed vanity and wind / so that in us / as of our selves rests / nothing worthy of thy mercies / for all are found fruitless / even the princes with the prophets / as withered trees apt and mete too be burnt in the fire of thy eternal displeasure. But o Lord / behold thy own mercy & goodness / that thou may purge and remove the most filthy burden / of our most horrible offences / let thy love overcome the severity of thy judgements / even as it did in giving to the world thy only Son Jesus / ⟨p. xviij⟩when all mankind was lost / and no obedience was left in Adam nor in his seed. Regenerate our hearts o Lord by the strength of the holy ghost / convert thou us / and we shall be converted / work thou in us unfeigned repentance / and move thou our hearts too obey thy holy laws. Behold our troubles and apparent destruction / and stay the sword of thy vengeance before it devour us. Place above us o Lord for thy great mercies sake / such a head with such rulers and magistrates as feareth thy name / and willeth the glory of Christ Jesus to spread. Take not from us the light of thy Evangely / and suffer thou no papistry to prevail in this realm. Illuminate the heart off our sovereign lady queen Mary / with pregnant gifts of thy holy ghost. And inflame the hearts of her counsel / with thy true fear and love / repress thou the pride of those that would rebel.