are for euer In all suffrings I am like to Christ they are the marks of mine adoption that J am his childe Doe wee not heare the Lorde Himselfe doeth speake If wee bee without correction then are we bastardes and not sonnes and to shewe what our correction shal bee hee sayeth in an other place If we bee planted with him into the similitude of his death then shall wee also be partakers of his resurrection Who hath heard so great saluation as this Euery weapon wherewith the enemie striketh the same armeth vs to greater saluation And euery wounde that we doe receyue the same confirmeth vs to a surer life Then as before I saide care not for sinne for that is abolished so here I maye adde care not for hell for the nearer wee feele it the further we are from it Let them feare sinne that feele it not and let them be afraide of condemnation that knowe not what it is vppon whom destruction shall come sodenlie as an armed man Our eyes haue bene kept waking and we haue seene our sinnes our harts haue fainted before the anger of the Lorde And wee haue not despised his heauenlie callinge therfore in the day of trouble we shall haue rest In this perswasion we will liue and die and if our soules should melte for feare within vs although the Lorde should kill vs yet would we trust in him Abraham beleeued in the Lorde and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes against hope hee beleeued vnder hope and if our hope seemed to be taken from vs yet would wee patientlie wayte the Lords leasure vntill hee saue our hope agayne that at the least our faith might haue againe the glorie and trueth of full assurance Another thing we must labour in and in another thinge wee shall haue temptation and that is that wee may see what is the glorie of God and immortall life herein lett vs meditate in our beddes and thinke on this in our secret places in the middest of our companies let these cogitations be often in our hartes and in all places let these be our muses When we shal apprehende with all the seruauntes of God what is the height the bredth the length the depth wee shall knowe that the glorie is great of immortalitie and he is onely to bee beleued who shall shine in honour when this vanitie is ouerpast His strength is great that layde the foundations of the world and his brightnes exceeding that made the Sunne and the Moone His treasure and ritches are aboue measure who hath giuen Princes their golde and siluer and other pretious stones for the honour of man he in deede is of excellent maiestie who is King of Kings and Lord of Lordes and his power is aboue all who maketh sicknesse his messengers and death his minister till he shall abolishe them both For his mercies are vnspeakable that forgiueth vs all our sinnes and his goodnes is great who hath had regarde to the children of men From nothing hee brought vs into life he kept vs from the graue he will restore vs and make vs see his glorie When I would thinke on this my soule is compassed with dulnes of fleshe that J cannot see the fulnes of his fauour When I would consider in my heart what is his grace Darkenesse ouershadoweth myne vnderstāding all my thoughts doe vanishe in his immortalitie When J would speake of his louing kindnes my tonge cleaueth to the roote of my mouthe and my wordes sticke faste within my lippes But this one thinge in all myne infirmities J can perceyue that his glorie is exceeding great whose glorie I can not comprehende and the life is longe appointed vnto man where his heart and minde can see no ende If all the worlde were a flowing water and euery yeare one droppe should be diminished the Sea should be all made drye and the bottomes of the deepe should appeare before he shall cease to lyue whom God hath raysed from the dead and this breadth widenesse betweene heauen and earth if it should bee filled vp and euery yeare but one handfull of earth added to the worke yet sooner should the great distance bee closed vp and the emptie places made full then hee shall cease from ioye and gladnes who shall stande in the resurrection of the iust This is the glorie that hath neither spot nor blemishe before which me thinketh not only Princes and the glorie of the world but the Sunn and Moone all the hostes of heauen are nothing els but meere vanitie for death shadoweth the glorie of man though hee spred his braunches neuer so farre yet the graue closseth vp in little roome the ambitious heart which before was enlarged from East to West And the Heauens that are high and free from death yet are holden vnder the tyrannie of enuious and consuming tyme in which they shal be chaunged Only the Lord is in honor and maiestie who hath set eternitie rounde about him and cast out tyme vnto confusion Oh Lorde where are their eyes that see not this or their hearts that see and regarde it not Who hath bewitched them in the countenances of men to carrie the heartes of beastes and to forget the latter ende The Lorde turne them that runne astray that they may knowe and see where is their glorie but the temptations haue ouertaken them Which are against our honour when the Lorde shall deliuer them from euill they shall giue thankes and reioyce with vs that they also haue eyes to see And blessed are you good Mistres H. and God hath visited you in an acceptable time whose heart he hath touched with feare whose afflictions he hath filled with hunger and thirst that you should mourne for the redemption that is in Christ and be pleased with nothing but with the grace of his countenance This is a Schoolemistres to bringe you vnto him and a bond to tye you faste that you shall not be seperated and accomplishe J beseeche you this good worke of his grace till you loue the Lord withall your heart and till you can say with the blessed Apostle I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ For this purpose wee are chastised of the Lorde and whē our faith is tryed at the last it shal be made strong that with it we may quench all the fierie dartes of Sathan and in righteousnes and peace and ioye of the holy Ghoste runne the course that is set before vs till in a blessed issue of happie dayes with a good spirite we may say boldlie Lorde nowe lettest thou thy seruaunt depart in peace Which I beseeche God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ the God of mercie and Father of all consolation graunt vnto you Amen Pray pray pray praye this is your best seruice wheresoeuer your duetie is most bounde Letters of Ed. Der. to Maistres B. GRace mercie and peace from God our Father c. J had much leuer good Maistres B. come my self then write
will surelie performe it To them that loue God all things happen to the best and pray for me good Brother that I may holde stedfast that loue and wauer not in the faith of the gospell in which we haue assured life and as I am bounde J trust I will pray for you that your eyes may haue perfect pure sight to see the louing countenance of the Lorde which is better then life so you shall bee happie euen in the dayes of your vanitie and when nature shall make you yeelde to the necessitie of all fleshe to goe walke in the way of all the worlde then shall you reape the fruite of your labour and say with gladnes Lord nowe lettest thou thy seruaunt depart in peace This is all the hope we haue and the onely ioye that is to be looked for vnder the heauens the nearer you shall feele it the more you shall see it it shall delight you and set you on a sure ground that you shall not be ashamed for euer The Lord God for his Christes sake strengthen vs all to so good a purpose and the mutuall debte we owe one to another in the bound of nature let vs paye it in this holy affection to praye for our perseuerance vnto the ende And as touching the issue of all my businesse looke for the worst hope for the best and beare whatsoeuer shall fall J trust to God once I shall see the day wherein J shall faithfully speake it euen as Saint Paul Vita mea nō est chara mihi vt consumā cursum meū cū gaudio The Bb. and many other seeke occasions against mee God hath stil raysed me vp many friendes but my hope is onely in him that hath kept me hitherto and not in man when J knowe what ende will come you shall heare If I would lose the trueth I could winne the world but that were a miserable change God blesse vs and sende vs peace make vs wise in his Gospell and stedfast vnto the ende My Wife hath bene I thanke God in no trouble neyther was any toward her that J knowe of if any fall God hath made her rich in grace and knowledge to giue accompt of her doing D.W. on frydaie last as I was about to preach forbad me in hir Maiesties name so I stande now forbidden not by the Bb. but by our Princesse whom J beseech God make a happie gouernour in his church and many yeares to giue peace vnto his people If we prayed as we should God would make perfite the good worke hee hath begun and make vs see the peace of Jerusalem all the dayes of our life And J beseeche God that wee may wishe so effectually his mercies that at last hee may shutt vs vp in a blessed vnitie that they whom he hath afflicted may reioyce Commende me to all Thank◠my cosen for her letters and for the parsonage she writeth of I will not refuse it if I may haue it neyther will I sue for it though it were much better If God call me to it I pray God I may doe my duetie if not yet his will be done I am perswaded if I be setled there it shal be a blessinge vnto the countrie if not without me God keepeth those that bee his Farewell good Brother And the Lord keepe you and all yours Amen The 24. of December 1573. Your louing Brother Edwarde Dering To his Brother I. D. THE God of all grace who giueth vs eyes to see and eares to heare giue vnto vs euer his holy spirit that in the middest of a darke world we may see the brightnesse of his heauenly kingdome and in this weake tabernacle of small cōtinuance we may knowe the dwelling place which we shall haue for euer in the resurrection of the iust Amen I thanke you good brother for your letter and for your care of my recouerie but most of all because you shewe a good testimonie of your minde that the feare of God doeth dwell in you of this J am gladde and I am sure I shal be glad For I know howe earnestlie I desire it and I see howe vnfainedlie you are brought vnto it and when the Lord in his good will his appointed time shal make vs see more cleare howe great this blessinge is we knowe wee shall reape the fruite of it in the sight of his presence and in eternal life this is enough for vs a strēgth vnto our hope a stay vnto our faith a continuance vnto our loue lett the good worke of God be finished in vs. And of this wee may be sure whosoeuer regardeth it not or else embraceth the present worlde he knoweth not God nor yet hath euer seene the length breadth of immortalitie And therefore good brother because blessed are the eyes which see that we see let vs strenghten our sight with the sweet oyntement of Gods spirite that we may yet see more cleare till through all the graces of GOD our Father we may see our bodies also raised vp from the dead and our selues ioyned vnto our Sauior Christ by decree and sentence which neuer shal be reuersed Come you blessed vnto eternall life vnto this a good conscience will carie vs with ioye gladnes Beyonde this our senses faile vs and our hearte is able to comprehende nothing of the glorie which we shall see Only J knowe it is exceeding great whose greatnesse I can neither see nor heare nor comprehende with thought And therefore if euer thinge delighted vs or if euer we haue seene pleasure or can wishe the thing in which we would reioyce let vs turne all our affections hither with harte and soule life and strength to delight in this which alone is all and no body shall take it from vs. And sure brother this is true if God haue receyued vs to that blessed kingdome he hath appointed the time in which he will giue vs his spirite though not fullie to comprehende it yet so farre to see it that wee will accounte all the worlde to be but dunge to the ende we may winne Christ. And this J am perswaded good brother God hath and will giue plentifullie vnto you so that you shall vse the worlde as though you vsed it not and be here with men as one whose dwelling were with the Angels of God vsing your calling in any godly recreatiō but hauing your heart nearest vnto God that gaue it and the Lorde graunt you this happines that all the pleasure of your life maye bee in deede acceptable such as shall not after be mingled with shame sorrowe And J beseeche God blesse my good Vncle B. and make him now to know which in his tender yeres he could not see for the worlde was then darke and we were blinde in it but since we haue bene lightened with the gospell of the Lorde Jesus and so much more earnest lie nowe we must pray that it may be vnto vs the gospell of healthe and wee may increase in the
the seconde night of my trauell J could not sleape but taried a seuen night in the same place then came backe againe ill at ease thus it pleaseth God to deale with me and such a body he hath giuen me to the ende I am sure J should not loue this present vanitie but remember him that liueth euer desire to bee dissolued to see his glorie And this I beseeche you thinke to be the only cause that I haue not of longe time seene you and others with whom otherwise I would wishe to dwell and if it bee the good will of God to prosper my iourneys in time conuenient J trust to see you oftener hereafter but his will bee done who appoynteth our wayes and numbreth our steppes and doeth all things for the best to those that loue him and to him if J can commit you in my daily prayers that so my spirit bee present with you how longe soeuer J be absent in body yet my duetie I owe you shall not bee altogither vnperformed and that piece of it which yet is wantinge that in daily exhortation J might by the grace of God stirre vp your minde that in the meane time let me supplie with these letters In which most hartily I beseech you good Madame goe on forwarde and faint not in the course of godlines increase stil in faith in loue in hope til with a wise hart you haue such a feeling of the glory of God of eternall life that you haue made your account vp with the world are at a point with all that is vnder the Sun While God shall prolong your dayes reioyce in him that hath giuen you life and vse all his gifts to his glory and whē his appointed time shal come and bring death into your doores let this be the preparation of your heart you desire to be loosed to bee with Christ and let this be the answere of your tongue Lord nowe lettest thou thy seruant departe in peace Surelie then it shall come vnto you that a happie life shal haue a blessed end Your former times haue found their wished issue the entrance of your graue shal be the beginninge of your glorie Hee hath spoken it that can not deceyue vs That euerie one that beleeueth in him shall not taste of death but shall passe from death to life This good Madame is the crowne garlande of all our pleasures reioyce in feeling it and be glad in louing it knit it faste to all the thoughtes of your hart neuer forget it it shal giue you more pleasure in one day of your life thē without it you can find in a thousande yeares and all the men of the worlde which feele their pleasure in this life know nothing better then to followe their owne concupiscence they shall perish when you shall abyde they shall mourne when you shall reioyce because they haue forgotten the liuinge God whom you haue loued Manie tentations shal be continuallie against you but God is able to set you free from them cast your care on him you haue wonne the victorie And to the ende you may knowe him how to trust in him as the Prophet Dauid did so let vs doe that is Let vs make his testimonies to be our delight excercise our selues in thē day night for they onely can make vs wise and renue in vs the image of God that we may be perfect as our heauenlie father is perfect This hope J thanke God hath bine before me that J haue not feared in any trouble and in a good conscience of this doing I had rather haue the displeasure of the worlde then with losse of this desire or any hurt of it to winne the fauour of all mortall men And so I am sure it shall be with you that day in which you shall so feele Gods glorie eternall life that you will consecrate your life for euer vnto him loue hi◠feare him longe after him Jt shal be more ioyfull vnto your thē the daie of your birth your heart shal be see as Saint Paule saith to vse the world as though you vsed it not not to forsake the world or worldly things for they are the gifts of god for the cōforte of our life but as though wee forsaked it so let our loue bee taken from it and be euer with him who is the giuer of all hath all immortalitie There is not a day that passeth ouer our heades but it afflicteth the body maketh it a day shorter liuing then it was Let there not be a day but shall strenghthen our faith that we may be glad we are one daie neerer the presence of our God then wee were before And I beseech god who only can do what he will worke his good will with you in all spirituall blessings that you may abounde and in the cōdition of this life that you may reioice till your accounted times bee all fulfilled Amen Yours in the Lord Iesu Ed. Deringe A Letter of M. Ed. De. to the Ladie M. THE Lorde God who hath onely power to worke his will and hath shewed mercy vnto vs in an eternall couenant make vs perfect in all our ways to abound in righteousnes and loue his glorie that in life and death we may be happie and haue ioy in his presence who liueth euer Amen Good Madame tbe dutie that J haue long owed vnto you doth much binde me the experience of your good inclination sufficientlie doth emboulden me to write at this time vnto you and J trust the Lord God who hath giuen you his grace and called me to this worke will blesse the labour that it may bee profitable to his glorie your cōfort For if his worde haue so great strength in his Saintes when they are yet vnbeleeuing and ignorant that it reuealeth euen the secretes of their hartes that it maketh them fall down to worship him and to acknowledge his mightie power in it J am sure it can not be but the same worde shall haue strength in you wholy altogither to consecrate your selfe vnto the Lord till all your delight be in him alone So that I am nowe more to praye for my selfe then for you that I may rather speake the trueth then you heare it for of this I am sure your heart is prepared as the Prophete sayth to a good purpose the Lord make my hande as the penne of a good writer And nowe good Madame this is the summe of all Feare God loue him your goods your credit your thoghts your desires your body your life giue it all vnto him that he only may please you nothing but he only delight you his worde instruct you his wil perswade you that whether you liue or whether you die you may be wholy his A short lesson soone learned harde J confesse of the worlde to practise but not harde to you whom God hath loued for what is it can call away your
but the heauens also you haue destroyed death you shall feele thē all within you the fellowship of Saints Angels the forgiuenes of sinns the resurrection of the body the life euerlasting and the God of glorie your eyes lightened with a pure faith shall see these things in so perfect beautie that you shall cast out death the feare of it yea you should thinke your time wearines if your dayes should be prolonged and you should bee yet many yeares a soiorner in this bodie in which you are a straunger from the presence of the Lorde And the nearer your time approcheth the gladder you shal be of the ende of your iourney when your harte shall feele it And when the earthlie house of this tabernacle shal be destroyed you haue a building giuen of God a house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens In this faith you shall not onely not feare death but you shall sigh and moane as Paule saith till you see your glorie and the lot of the saints that is in light where there is no more sorrow nor care nor feare nor death but the God of all mercie and father of our lord Jesus Christ shal be before vs for euer Thus Madame as my duetie is J haue written vnto you and God will blesse it as his promise is that it shall be for the best in the wisdome of his word we shal be strengthned in his grace that death sicknesse shal be forgotten all the desirs of our heart shal be with him And the Lord God for his Sonnes sake so haue mercie vpon vs that all euill taken from vs we may reioyce in him and see his blessed age that is in immortality is sealed in our heartes with his blessed spirit To whom be glorie for euermore Amen From Saint Ellens the tenth of Ianuarie Anno Domini 1576. Yours bounden in the Lord Iesu the onely forgiuenes of all our sinnes Ed. Deringe A Letter written by M. Edward Deringe to his Lord Maister the Duke of Northfolke Gratia et pax a Deo patre et domino nostro Iesu Christo THE longe good will that I haue borne vnto you as to one that earnestlie professed the Gospell and the great duetie I owe vnto you as to my Lord Master make that nowe I should write vnto you not knowing whether opportunitie shal be such that hereafter J may doe you any seruice God the author of all life he hath shutte both you and me vp in his handes that there is great likelihood our liues in this worlde they are but short The Prince that executeth the iudgement of the Lord she hath found you out in your great sinnes and sickenes that raigneth ouer all fleshe it hath taken now longe holde vpon me So that as I saide we are both in the handes of the Lord we are summoned paremtorilie death hath giuen an assault and the weake holdes of our life they are violentlie shaken Nowe therefore my good Lord let it vs take counsell togither and as a wise Maister learne of a faithfull seruaunt what is best to be done the worst that our sinnes can doe vnto vs is to lay vpon vs the iust rewarde of death my disease which thus afflicteth me for many thousand sinns it can but take away my life which J haue so abused And all your deepe dissimulation and hypocrisie your great ambitions your faithlesse religion which haue so bewitched you what can they doe more then this The remedie nowe is to make of necessitie a vertue that is to beare it wisely which you must needes abide J haue I thanke God founde that grace that I can loue this saying Cupio dissolui esse cum Christo the Lord also open your hearte and guide your vnderstandinge that with all saintes you may doe likewise and praye Veni Domine Iesu And now for asmuch as this is the last duetie that J am like to doe vnto you as God shall giue grace I will so aduice you as I may testifie myne owne faith and make you strong against the daye of triall trusting that our God shall so remember vs both in mercie that after a little while we shall see better dayes and raigne with him that abideth King for euer There is now but one thing necessarie for you to learne in this life that is how you may willinglie desire to die a hard lesson for a natural mā for death is our last enimie his assault most violent to the triall of our faith but Christ who hath ouercome death and hell hee hath broken the strength of this battell and set vp the songes of triumph vnto all that beleeue that we may haue the fulnesse of ioy and say with gladnes ô death where is thy sting Nowe that this ioye may be yours and this gladnes your inheritāce prepare your selfe not in your own wisdō for that hath alredie deceiued you but in the wisdome of god that your hope may be sure Jf you will now haue the hart that shal cōdemne the force of death cōsider wherfore you are called to die It is laid to your charg that you haue delt traytrously with your Prince with your coūtry with the religiō of God and vpon these crimes you are cōdemned to die If you be guiltles ô my Lord blessed are you blessed is your portion he hath spokē it that neuer will change Jf whē you do well you suffer wrōgfully take it patiētly for this is acceptable to god but if you be guilty you haue not your hope in death for that you haue deserued but your hope is this that you die so as it becōmeth you which if god shal grāt vnto you then blessed is the howre that God shall bring vpon you you shal make that change which god for his Christes sake lay speedily vpon all his children you shal die once that you may liue euer Now that you may know how you ought to die learne this of the lord which he hath so plainly taught you The first part of your true repētāce must be an hūble cōfessiō what soeuer your own conscience can vtter more thē is reuealed O my Lorde speake opēly the trueth sathan is enimie vnto vs his slightes are many if you will treade the malicious serpent vnder your feete triumph with Christ who hath spoiled hell tell the trueth my Lord conceale nothing so shall you shunne the diuel If my words seeme but light to perswade you heare the wisest counsellour that euer raigned in Israel He that hideth his sinne saieth Salomon shall neuer prosper but he that cōfesseth forsaketh them shall finde mercie Whē Acan had transgressed in Israel deserued death when he was brought into iudgemēt Ioshua said vnto him My Son J beseech thee giue glory to the lord God of Israel make cōfession vnto him shew me now what thou hast done Loe my Lord this is to giue glorie vnto God to cōfesse your sin