By John Bradford
Godly Meditations upon the Lord's Prayer, the Belief, and the Commandments, with other Comfortable Meditations, Prayers, and Exercises by the constant Martyr of God, John Bradford, in the Time of his Imprisonment
To the Reader
Here thou hast (good reader) such godly meditations prayers, and other exercises of that worthy witness of God, John Bradford, as God by his singular providence has hitherto preserved, and now at length brought to light, for thy comfort and advantage. Daily and hourly was this his exercise, to talk with God by faithful and hearty meditation and prayer, with power piercing the heavens, and many such godly exercises did he leave behind him which either time has consumed, or else such as keep them in store to their own private use, do little consider what benefit they withhold from the church of God, which, if they shall yet brotherly communicate, there shall not lack good will and diligence to set them abroad. In the mean season, let us with thankfulness receive, read and practise these as means to quicken our spirits, to stir up our dull hearts to a more fervent invocation of God's holy name: which how far it is from what it should be in us and what need we have thereof, if our dead senses cannot feel, here may we see and perceive. Here may we learn to flee unto God by prayer, that we run not on still with this unthankful world into forgetfulness of his great benefits poured upon us, especially for the liberty of his gospel, which we (in much mercy restored now unto us again) so unthankfully receive, so ungodly neglect, so wickedly abuse. God grant us his good Spirit to work in us this good work; to look about us in time; to consider our state past and present, as indeed we have great cause to do, and so with hearty prayer flee unto God to prevent the plagues that are at hand, lest with double woe we find the latter end worse than the beginning.
