yt hath pleased the Lord to take out of this wreched lyfe my most Christian and loving wyfe2 wherby I am deprived of the chiefest comfort of my Lyfe, and left a most disconsolate and deiectid man at once bereft of a faythfull and trusty yokefellow a trew counsellor a great motiue to all goodnes a stay to my howse and loving companion my sorrowes cannot be expressed nor I relieud with any comfort but from that overflowing fountayne of comfort christ Jesus agaynst which my frayle nature and violent Passiones do strongly fight you may tell me tis selfe loue that governes me, for shee is most happy and enioyes a blessed mansion to which hir actiones and course of lyfe hath bin long directid: but I a wretched weak man both in body and mind that hoped she should haue closed my dying eyes surviue yf this may be called a lyfe seperated from that next mine owne soule I hold in deerest account but I am a shadow and no man and haue drunke a bitter potion of Gods Judgmentes which my sinnes haue long cald for I now send you this Messinger to know yf you please to performe this last duty to your deceased sister in seing hir corpes 239safely disposed till yt shalbe vnited to hir blessed sowle in glory or yf you or hir frendes will advise me in this my weak estate to whom I will chiefly leane to for councell next vnder God and do Intreat you even for godes cawse and your trew christian loue to my distressed self and my deare wyfe if you will giue me leaue to comend to your care my litle ones and their estate for that my weaknes contineweth and I do beleeue my stay here is not longe more I cannot write but sorrowfull remembrances and loue and duty to you my father and Mother and so expect to heare from you.

this present saboath betweene ij and iij my wyfe departid and on wednesday in after noone I purpose to comitt hir body to the earth, yours what I am

Most deare and louing brother for so I ame bound and make bould to caule you hauing receiued such manifest tokenes of your vnfained loue unto me which I neuer haue deserued the least part shewed from youe to me makes me bound and Indebted in loue and thanckfullnes that I neuer can cum forth of your debt nether can I expres the thanckfullnes which in my hart I doe desire to doe, But good brother lett me Intreat you to acsept these pore lynes as a token to relat that thankefullnes which I would Express if I could for your sweet Cristian lettars Hath wrought such cumfort to my pore weake mind that thay are to me as wyne giuen to a werye fainting man that doth so cheare and refresh his sperites that he is as one ouer cume with Joy So good brother hauing bine so long sicklye makes me or anye other more heauie in the pirforming of anye good dutyes 240as also it makes ous more forgetfull of those sweet promises and cumforts which the lord hath writen for ous in his holy word and thar fore we had ned to be stured vp by our good Cristian frinds who it hath plesed the lord to minister the like cumfort to them for in ded those are most of god beloued that sufer Aflictions and it is good for the children of god to haue Aflictions for in the time of thar destreses thay will seeke the lord diligentley as the lord spake of the children of Isrell for then when thay war afflicted thay would seke the lord diligently so we in Aflictions will runn unto the lord and will seke to find our owne wantes and striue to gett faith to laye howld one the merittes of our blesed lord and sauor Jesus Christ by whome we haue the full remision of all our sinnes because he tooke awaye the gillt and punishment by his death and pasion taking a waye the holle curse of the lawe which was the first and second death from ous both by his death and pasion and by his parfitt obediance being Imputed unto ous and now hath mad ous Ayeres with him to be with him in his Emortall Kingdom he being the price whar with we war bought and now in him are all the tresures of knowlege and wisdome ar hidd: Colo. 23: blesed be god which hath blesed ous with all sperituall blesings In Jesus Crist: Ephesians: I: 3 verse and now of his fullnes we receiu grace for grace so that all the blesings of god whether spirituall or temporall are giuen ous of god our father for the sake of his blesed sonn Jesus Christ and throwe him whether it be prosperytie or Afflictions all is sanctyfied unto ous throw him for in him all our aflictions proseed from god as from a most louing god and so as fatherly chastisments and tharfore Paule: Phi: 3: 10: seing the exsolint priueliges that came to the children of god by the suffrings of Christ made him to acount all thing lose and to Judg them to be dung that he maight knowe him and the vertue of his resurrection with the feliship of his Afflictions that he maight be conformable unto his death that he maight wine Crist and maight be found in him if then all our comfort comes by our blesed lord and sauores sufrings why should we thinke our pore aflictions to great for ous to bare: No lett ous rather saie with hart hath the lord bine so good to suffer for me pore wrettch and shall I not Indure what soeuer he shal please to laye apone me Yess with all pacience and contentednes that hauing fought our good fight when we shall finish our corse by death we may then receiue the glorious crowne of writiousnes which the ritious god hath laid vp in store for those that feare him which the almighty god giue unto ous for his blesed sonne Jesus Cristes his sake: thus deare brother hauing bine ouer tedious yet desiring you to excuse both my 241 illegible lines as also the pore weake mater which I am bould to send unto you as presuming of your louing Axseptance desiring you good brother to remember my vnfained loue to my deare sister with my many thanckes unto you both for your good token you sent me being sorye that at presant I haue noe good remembrance to remember you with desiring you good to remember me and mine in your good praiers as I shall euer doe for you in myne I most kindlye take my leaue desiring our mercifull god and father to bless you both and all my little cosens with all his rich blesings in Jesus Christ who I pray to send ous a Joyfull metting farwell most deare brother and sister farwell.