A16573:586
The complaint of verity, madeThe complaynt of veritie, made
The complaint of verity, made by John Bradford. An exhortation of Matthew Rogers, unto his children. The complaint of Raufe Allerton and others, being prisoners in Lollers tower, & written with their blood, how god was their comfort. A song of Cain and Abel. The saying of master Hooper, that he wrote the night before he suffered, upon a wall with a coal, in the new In, at Gloucester, and his saying at his deathThe complaynt of veritie, made by Iohn Bradford. An exhortacion of Mathewe Rogers, vnto his children. The complaynt of Raufe Allerton and others, being prisoners in Lolers tower, & wrytten with their bloud, how god was their comforte. A songe of Caine and Abell. The saieng of maister Houper, that he wrote the night before he suffered, vppon a wall with a cole, in the newe In, at Gloceter, and his saiyng at his deathe
London: printed for Owen Rogers?, 1559
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
After this sort, I say, or otherwise, as thou thinkest good, if thou wilt have this first part, Contrition, or sorrow for thy sins, do thou beg it of God through Christ. And when thou hast asked it, as I have laboured to drive thee from trusting in thy self, so now I go about to move thee from flattering of thy self, from sluggishness & negligence, to be diligent to use these means following. Unto prayer, which I would thou shouldest first use as thou canst: secondly, get thee Gods Law as a glass to toot in: for in it, and by it, cometh the true knowledge of sin, without which knowledge, there can be no sorrow. For how can a man sorrow for his sins, which knoweth not his sins? As when a man is sick, the first step to health, is to know his sickness: even so to salvation, the first step, is to know thy damnation due for thy sins.
After this sort, I say, or otherwise, as thou thinkest good, if thou wilt haue this first part, Contrition, or sorrow for thy sins, do thou beg it of God through Christ. And when thou hast asked it, as I haue laboured to driue thée frō trusting in thy selfe, so now I go about to moue thée from flattering of thy selfe, from sluggishnes & negligence, to be diligent to vse these meanes following. Vnto prayer, which I would thou shouldest first vse as thou canst: secondly, get thée Gods Law as a glasse to toot in: for in it, and by it, commeth the true knowledge of sinne, without which knowledge, there can be no sorrow. For how can a man sorrow for his sins, which knoweth not his sinnes? As when a man is sicke, the first step to health, is to know his sicknesse: euen so to saluation, the first step, is to know thy damnation due for thy sinnes.
The Law of God therefore must be gotten and well tooted in: that is, we must look in it spiritually, & not corporally, or carnally, as the outward word or letter doth declare ⟨image 35⟩and utter: and so our Saviour teacheth us in Matthew, expounding the sixth and seventh commandments, not only after the outward deed, but also after the heart, making the•e the anger of the heart, a kind of murder, lusting after an other mans wife, a kind of adultery.