A Caveat for Parsons Howlet, Text
By these testimonies alleadged by mee, concerning the Fast of …, it appeareth (I …) … hovv vayn the accusation is, that these enimies of God, and of her highnes, hauehave made against those Godly and learned men the Preachers that preached there, against the vvhole Borough & Magistrates therof, and against my selfe vvho neuer was acquainted with the matter, neither had any dealing at that time or at any other … any suche thing. And novv because I hauehave sufficiētly discouered this vvhol trovvp of papistes vnderunder Antichrist the Pope, to be enemies to our Lord & Captain Iesus Christ, to his religion, to our gratious Soueraigne for professing it, and to vsus, as … as vnderunder her highnesse gratious gouernment hartily embrace it: … that he hath seuered vsus from them, to the ende vvee should holde out his glory against them, and not be ashamed of his Crosse in the groatest … they shall be able to laye vppon vsus, and, that … should hauehave no fellovvship vvith them. And therefore I moste humbly befeech her Maiestie vponupon the … of my heart; vvhome God hath … to that high top of honour, to honour him, & to holde vsus … in al obedience vnderunder his septer and gouernment (vvhichwhich these enimies …, … their … both against God … of …, and against her … of it:) that she vvil (in that … knovvledge of the truth, wherof by the singuler … of God shee is made …measure, and in that …, the Lord in mercy hath … in her gracious heart, agaynst …) … vvithout famting, to the … on of all …, her most … and louing …: vvherein as … hauehave by Gods: assistance pitched our staues to stand fast, so … fully … our selues of her gracious defence euen to the ende. It is no time … for vsus to looke backe: All the boastinges land proude challenges in the vvorlde, of … and nevve …, cannot … to any suspence of the trueth. VVe are not ignorant of their great speech & proud vvords: we know that Antichrist shal come with power, yea with lying signes & wonders: his bulke shall be big, & his men shall appear as … as great as euer were the Anakims and Goliah: yet we are not by the grace of God, afraid of thē. VVe hauehave had suf ficient triall of their weapons & armour, vve knovv their standings & their studies, and euermore when we hauehave crapled with them, by the … of God, we … ben to hard for thē. A tast was giuen in the beginning of her maiesties most …, & since at sundry times, at VVifbich of late: & this other day at the Tovvre. And as euermore God hath knit victorye vvith his trueth, so hee giues shame and confusion to salsehood, vvith vvhat vvisedome of man soeuer, vvith vvhat learning or pollicie it bee mainteined. And therefore hauing by the grace of God founde the trueth, vvee are fully determined to liue and dye in it. And it is …, that as God and Satan can not be serued together, so vve can not be faithfull Subiects to Elizabeth our Queene mainteining …, if vvee serue Antichriste. VVee can not be … to her, if vve yeelde … to her enimie, and a … vsurper. And … as vvee are made one vvith Christ our heade, & are sorted and … into his folde, as his Confederates, vnderunder the leading of our Christian Prince on earth: vve meame by his assistance faythfully to fighte his battels. Neither can they … vsus, thoughe they shoue in amongst vsus, as long as they come in, vnderunder this Antichristes standered and …, … the Markes both of false …, …. Tyranny and vvicked life. … if they … to be vvith vsus as friends, and yet craftily vndermine vsus to coole vsus and hinder vsus, vvee maye for a time bee deceiued, but our … vvill at the length discouer them, and vvhen they are found out, oure eyes shall not … them. They shall be vsed not as confederates to him, vvhichwhich only the fathfull are: but as enemies, vvhom vve being commaunded to strike, vve dare not spare, neither reserue: hovve goodly and fatte Oxen soeuer they bee, and vvhat good shevvs soeuer they hauehave. VVe dare not trust neither the … & whining of these Curres in this time of their bondage & tying vp. The time vvas vvhen they vvere lose, and then they played their partes, they shewed their kinde; and we knowe that there is no change, but by regeneratiō. Their snarling, their barking agaynst the trueth, their lying in vvaite, and continuall looking for aduantage, vvhen they maye crush vsus, euen in this time, testifieth vvhat vve vvere like to finde, if they had any power ouer vsus. And thoughe in this … of them vp, as VVolues they hauehave licked out hands whilest we sed them to traine thē to humanity, yet lying lose, they wilbe the more … against vsus: God of his gracious goodnes keep vsus out of their handes. And we giuegive him most hūble & harty thanks, who in so exceeding mercy & wonderful patience, waiteth for our conuersion, euen ouercomming our sinne vvith his goodnesse, in protecting and defending vsus against the madnesse and … of these open and deadly enemies. VVe humblye thanke him for defending this Realme, oure Queene, her Counsailours, and all her people. For it is vvell knovvne, and vve … it, that if he had looked vppon our vnthankfulnesse, vve should hauehave bene as a pray vntounto them and they would hauehave eaten vsus vp aliue: he hath done it: not vntounto vsus, that is, not for our sakes, but vntounto his owne name, that he may hauehave the glory of it. And surely, if we faint not, but go cheerefully sorward in that glorious trueth, in … he hath called vsus vntounto, if we labor to approue our selues to him, giuing him a pure woorship & seruice according to his own appointment & will, striuing to sincerity aud cleansiug our churches from that popish filth, this man of sinn hath left behind him in thē, if we giuegive him the honor of leading vsus, & will bee ruled by his woord, renouncing mans wisdome, pollicie, and strength in the worke of our saluation, then shal wee not neede to feare, though these enemies be neuer so many or mighty: If God be vvith vsus vvho can be against vsus? Though their Parsons be taule and terrible, their furniture vvell appointed, their strength in the iudgement of men inuincible, their knovvledge in martiall affairs equal vvith ours, their learniug, vvealth, riches, and pollicie aboue ours, yet in the name of the Lord of hoastes vve vvill not feare them: if God be in the middest of vsus, compasse vsus about & fight for vsus, if vve be vnderunder his leading howe can they preuaile against vsus? And surely cōfortable experiēce we hauehave had of his good nesse these many late years in protecting this realm, so beset with enimies, our gracious prince by nature a vveake vvoman, and subiect to many infirmities, her counsellors exercised vvith many difficulties & hard tentarions, her people giuen vp in peace, as commonly common people are in suche times, to … their profites and pleasures: that God, I say, hath yet so mightily defended them, and enriched vsus all, with so many blessinges both of this life, and of the life to come which are moste precious, vvhat other argument can it yeelde vntounto vsus, then of great incouragement? This shoulde euen encrease oure hope, and adde newe strength vntounto vsus, to make vsus stande fast to our God: The trueth is, that our pollicie and arme hath not wrought it, but our … God who hath kept continuall vvatch ouer vsus, to the end vve should vvalke in holy and … obedience, in fear and trembling as in his presence: not that vve should be secure and carelesse, arming these enemies of ours, vvith our sinnes and transgressions against vsus, but that vve should feare before his …, & trust in him, being armed vvith the righteousnes of Iesus Christ our head, which shal not only shroud vsus from their fury, but from his ovvne vvrath and … damnation.
Thus muche I thought good, beeing specially dravvne in by the aduersary to speak in the defence of Gods euerlasting trueth. If I giuegive any iust offence to the godly, by any slippe of humaine infirmitie, I craue pardon for it: but I protest beefore him, that knoweth the secretes of all heartes, that I hauehave not of any malice, sinister affection or desire of reuenge, vvritten any thing, but for & in the simple desēce & maintenance of the trueth and to the end to discredite error and …. And concerning one Hovvlet, vvhome I … in my Epistle dedicatory to aym at, and since hauehave vnderstood that the name by all likelihood shoulde be counterfaite, and taken vppon, by one … a runnagate Iesuite: I am very sory for the wrong (if any be) that I hauehave done to Howlet, vvhom I supposed it to be. And I vvould the vvillingliar crye him mercy for it, … the Lorde vvoulde vouchsafe him an happy conuersion, from that false religion of popery, which I vvill vndoubtedly pray for, vvith all my heart. The Lorde God of all glorye, vvho is king of kinges, and Lorde of Lordes, preserue our gracious Soueraine Queene Elizabeth, and all her honourable counsellors, …, inferior officers and people, and so strengthen them in the trueth, as all may hauehave iudgement to discerne those thinges that differ, and in their seuerall callings knovve vvhat belongeth vntounto their speciall duties, that they may all detest popery, false doctrine and heresie, and vvith the glorious profession of the truth, ioyne a sincere and godly conuersation in life, & so hold out the glory of Christ their heade, through the sanctification of his blessed spirite, till they be gathered the vvay of all flesh, and arriued at that happy Hǎuen of … rest, vvhichwhich hee hath purchased.
Amen.
I hauehave hated the Church of the Malignant.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Field, A Caveat for Parsons Howlet (1581)