A16573:663
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.
Tarry thou here, and cock sure thou art, I warrant thee. Say with Paul, What can separate me from the love of God? Can death, can poverty, sickness, hunger or any misery, persuade thee now, that God loveth thee not? Nay, nothing can separate thee from the love wherewith God hath loved thee in Christ Jesus: whom he loveth, he loveth to the end. So that now where abundance of sin hath been in thee, the more is the abundance of grace. But to what end? Forsooth, that as sin hath reigned to death, as thou seeest, to the killing of Gods Son: so now Grace must reign to Life, to the honouring of Gods Son, who is now alive, and can not die any more.
Tarie thou heere, and cocke sure thou art, I warrant thee. Say with Paul, What can separate me from the loue of God? Can death, can pouertie, sickenesse, hunger or any miserie, perswade thee now, that God loueth thee not? Nay, nothing can separate thee from the loue wherewith God hath loued thee in Christ Iesus: whom he loueth, he loueth to the end. So that now where aboundance of sinne hath beene in thee, the more is the aboundance of grace. But to what end? Forsooth, that as sinne hath raigned to death, as thou séeest, to the killing of Gods Sonne: so now Grace must raigne to Life, to the honouring of Gods Sonne, who is now aliue, and can not die any more.
So that they which by faith feel this, cannot any more die to God, but to sin, whereto they are dead and buried with Christ.
So that they which by faith féele this, cannot any more die to God, but to sinne, whereto they are dead and buried with Christ.
As Christ therefore liveth, so do they, and that to God, to righteousness and holiness. The life which they live, is In fide Filii Dei: In the faith of the Son of God. Whereby you see, that now I am slipped into that, which I made the third part of penance, namely, newness of life, which I could not so have done, if that it were a part of it self indeed, as it is an effect or fruit of the second part, that is, of faith, or trust in Gods mercy. For he that believeth, that is, is certainly persuaded, sin to be such a thing, that it is the cause of all misery, and of it self so greatly angereth God, that in heaven nor in earth, nothing could appease his wrath, save alonely the death and precious bloodshedding of the Son of GOD, in whom is all the delight and pleasure of the Father: he, I say, that is persuaded thus of sin, the same cannot but in heart abhor and quake, to do or say, yea, to think any thing willingly, which Gods Law teacheth him to be sin.