The Sacred Doctrine of Divinity, Title page – Preface
THE SACRED DOCTRINE OF DIVINITIE, GATHERED OVT OF the worde of God. Togither with an explication of the LORDES PRAYER.
1599.
A preface to the Chriſtian Reader.
I ENTRED no ſooner into meditation of ſome preface vntounto the preſent booke, but forthwith Maiſter Dudley Fenner, of moſt happy and worthie memorie, ſtood before me. In whoſe remēbrance, as his death renued my grief: ſo it cōforted me, that after three yeares, as it were the third day, in one of the ſame coūtrie of Kent, in the ſame argument of laying down the whole body of the holy doctrine of God, in the ſame methode and memorielike handling of it, God had as it were, raiſed him vp againe from the dead, for ſupply of ſome of that worthy ſeruice, vntounto his Church, which he, if the Lord had added yeares vntounto his life, would manifoldly hauehave performed. For cōſidering the forreſtlike largeneſſe of matter it handleth and ſmal rowme the ſame is imparked, and the good order eueryevery doctrine ſtandeth in before the reader, ranged with others either going before & cōming after, as ſuperiours and inferiours, or ſiding it and walking hand in hand, as ſiſters & cōpanions: it ſeemed to me, that this treatiſe was like to be a ſeed, that by the hand of the printer being caſt vponupon the field of our coūtrie, might in good time bring vsus home an harueſt, that might yeeld honor to God, and edification to his Church, which is the principall: and in the ſecond place ſome honeſt credit, not altogether to be deſpiſed, vntounto this our countrie of Kent, whilſt it going before the moſt of other the Shires & Counties of the Land in bleſsings of outward fruitefulneſſe and wealth, ſhould not be found behinde all others, in the fruits of the Spirit, wherwith mens hearts, yea the Lord himſelf (after a ſort) is reioyced.I… li…. 9. And in it me thought I ſawe ſome gratious bluſh and good reſemblance of the wiſdome, which Solomon ſpeaketh of. For as by writing ſhee lifteth vp her voice, Prov. 8.ſo by conuenient, orderly & eaſie maner of hādling the doctrines of God, ſhe ſtandeth in the toppe of the higheſt places, where all wayfaring men that are ſtrangers in our countrie, taking their voyage towards mount Sion, may vnderſtande what is ſaid vntounto them. From thence ſhee ſteppeth to ſet her ſelf in the place or mother of wayes: Ezech. 2▪wher one way cutting it ſelfe into many, greatly hazardeth the wayfaring man, vnleſſe there be one, as it were, with the finger to point vntounto him, which is the right and ready way. Approching vntounto the citie of the heauenlie Ieruſalem, from whence ſoeuer he cometh Eaſt, Weſt, North or South, and to whatſoeuer of the twelue gates of the twelue tribes of our Land: ſhe is there alſo ready at the gate, in the mouth of the Citie, to tell him, what ſtreat he ſhall enter, on what hande to turne, what lane to goe down. That done ſhe taketh the winges of the morning, and fearing the frailty of men, leaſt they ſhould not ſee their happineſſe, when it is before them, or that they ſhould not diſcerne of it, when they touch it, or ſtumble vponupon it: ſhe ſetteth her ſelfe euen at the very dore that openeth to the full and perfect poſſeſsion of the promiſed felicity, ſaying, heere is the place you ſeeke after, enter it. This cōmendation, notwithſtanding that incōparably it doeth agree to the eternall ſonne of God, in his own, and in his Propheticall, and Apostolicall ministerie, as that which is the perfect Iethro of our voyage from Th'aegipt of this world vntounto the Lande of the heauenly Canaan: yet may it alſo not vnfitlie, in ſome meaſure, more or leſſe, be ſpoken of the holy labours in this kinde: which by deſcription of the whole doctrine of God, frō the foundation vntounto the loouer thereof, take vsus by hande, and entring vsus into the way of God, lead vsus as it were to all the ſtandinges and Camping places of the children of God, in the wilderneſſe of this world, vntill hauing caſt away, either weapons or walking ſtaues, we ſhall ſet vsus downe in th'endles peace and reſt of our God. A labour as at no time vnſeaſonable, and in no place vnworthy of a good welcome: ſo in theſe dayes, and eſpecially in our countrie, it is worthy, of all good entertainment. For beſide that there are to many ſectes and ſchiſmes: there are alſo diuerſities of iudgments, in one and the ſame ſort, both which be in danger, the former of ſchiſmes to grow to hereſies, the latter from ſome difference of iudgement, to bee ſorted and ſected altogether, if by ſuch treatiſes as this, which ſhortlie, and, as it were vnderunder one ſight, lay forth the ſound doctrine of all the maine, & meane, principall, and ſecondarie pointes of our moſt holy faith, the iudgment of men be not either called home, where it is broken out, or ſtayed where a breach is begun. And albeit th'excellent vſe hereof may clearly appeare to eueryevery one that hath but halfe an eye to looke with: yet is there that oppoſition in the world against all good endeuours of the ſeruauntes of the God of heauen, that this alſo is not vnlike to fall into ſome riflers hands, which will doe the vttermoſt of his wretched endeuour, to deſpoile it of the garmentes of comelines, whereby the Lorde would ſet it in the good grace & well liking of his children. If (happelie) it be ſaid, that it is therefore fruitles, becauſe it is a doing of a thing that is alreadie done, by a worthy, workeman of the Lord Maiſter Dudley Fenner, it were ſufficient anſwere, that the ſame is made Engliſh, which before was Latine, and brought into the artificers ſhop, which was before in the ſtudies & cloſets of the learned alone, which deſerueth praiſe at the handes of a thankful Reader. It is more then ſufficient aunſwere, that he hath brought Mr Fenners booke, for helpe of memorie, into a great deale ſmaller rowme. But I am and hauehave bene of that acquaintāce & priuitie with the Gentlemen theſe many years, that I am able before God, and in trueth to profeſſe, that before he euer ſawe M. Fenners booke, he had written & finiſhed this; with ſuch grace, as I, louing him before, did euer ſithence reuerence him, for the graces of God beſtowed vponupon him. And therefore as the Lord gaue Maiſter Fenner the honour to be firſt; ſo he would not let him hauehave it ſo farre, as to be alone. And notwithſtāding th'authors both modestie, and wiſedome is ſuch, as he would not hauehave paſſed by the aduantage of a further garniſhment of his worke, by M. Fenners labours: yet whoſoeuer ſhall peruſe the booke diligentlie, ſhall eaſilie perceaue, that hee hath for the matter, a ſtock of his own, and for the forme & maner of deliuerie of it, art and cunning of his own, to hauehave finiſhed ſome commendable worke in this kind, if he had had no ſuch paterne before his eyes. Which beeing well conſidered, will ſtop the mouth of ſome others, which ſnatching vp the wiſe Prouerbs, as of a man not medling beyond his ſlipper: and a Carpenter not dealing but with his chippes: will bee ready, fooliſhlie to throw them, they know not where, nor at whome. And for my parte, I am of that iudgement, that it is ſo farre from beeing vnmeet for a Gentleman of the Innes of the Court, to deale thus in theſe holy ſtudies; that I could wiſh of the Lorde, that the Noble men of the Court it ſelfe, and all others whoſe wits are either by nature, or education more pregnant, would fine & file them vponupon ſuch endeuours as theſe are. So ſhould they fitt themſelues not only to paſſe frō the Princes Court into the Lordes owne Court, there to raigne for euermore; but ſhould able themſelues ten thouſand times better to all honorable ſeruices of their Prince, & Countrie, in a wiſer and more politique gouernment of the comon wealth, then Machiauel that curſed helhound can furniſh thē of. For beſides many notable draughts of policie, here and there ſcattered throughout the whole Scripture, eſpecially the ſtorie: that one booke of the Prouerbes, as it were the Lords owne Politickes, is able to yeelde more ſound precepts of ſure & ſafe gouernement, then, I will not ſaye Machiauell, but then all the Machiauels in the worlde, when they ſhall hauehave met vponupon their bench, and ſhall hauehave beaten out their braines about that conſultation. And if it be here aſked, what are you, or who are you, whoſe iudgment in this behalfe the reader ſhould ſo greatly regard. Peraduenture the reader may be ſuch a one, as if I were a mā of ſome marke, with my word I ſhould carie him away, although I brought no reaſon: if of no note at all, hee would not beleeue mee, although I ſhould come vponupon him with neuer ſo good reaſon. Therefore concealing my name, in a word I anſwere firſt out of Moſes, for whom, when Ioſhua was ielous leaſt the gift of Propheſie, & of the declaratiō of the will of God being common, Moſes his Maiſter ſhould be leſſe eſtemed: he anſwered, would to God that all the Lords people were Prophets, Num. 11.why leſt the Lorde ſhould beſtow his Spirit vponupon them. Example hereof we hauehave in Ezechias raigne, one of the godliest and moſt renowned Kings that euer raigned, whoſe gouernement was alſo accōpanied with as much glorie and good ſucceſſe, both at home, and abroad during the whole time of his raigne, as any king whatſoeuer, Dauid only excepted. Nay I needed not, in eueryevery reſpect, to hauehave excepted Dauid, who met with more croſſe handes of the Lord in his Sonnes and ſubiects, then euer did Ezechias. And of him to his cōmendation that ſhall neuer die, it is written, that his Courtiers gathered,Pro. 25. … and ſuted diuers of: Solomons Prouerbs, in that Prophetical order wherein nowe they are left vntounto vsus by the holy Ghost. And vnles Courtiers will iudge thēſelues vnworthy of the kingdome of heauen, there is no cauſe, why they ſhould eſteme it to baſe or to vnworthie a thing for them to be occupied in: ſeeing Dauid, Solomō and Ezechias, the moſt famous Kinges that euer liued, hauehave no one thing ſo precious, to garniſhe and ſet foorth their Royall Crowne with, as that their handes beeing taught of God to write ſome thing to his praiſe, & edification of his people, the ſame as a diamond in their princelie Diademes remaineth to all poſteritie. Saul alſo, albeit a wicked man, yet beeing purpoſed of God to the Kingdome, had this as a principall meanes, to hide from the eyes of the people, the baſeneſſe of his birth, and homelines of his education: that hee was for ſome ſmall time graced of the Lord with a gift of Pro phetie, wherewith beeing ennobled, he was ſo prepared for the kingdome. But I am aſhamed of the iniquitie of theſe times, that ſhould driue to the proofe of that, whiche prophane and heathniſh mē, in the dim & darke ſight of their naturall reaſon, hauehave both ſeene and profeſſed, that theſe cōmon wealthes were moſt happie, where either Philoſophers were Kinges, or Kinges Philoſophers. And if Scepters were wel guided, when men ſtoode at the ſterne of common wealthes, that ſtirred them by direction of that ſhadowe and carcaſe of Philoſophie, that was to be had in their bookes: O howe happilie ſhould they bee menaged, if their courſe were ſet at the preſcript and cōmand of the word of God, which is the ladie miſtres of all true wiſedome or philoſophie. But I ſee there would be no end if I ſhould ſet my ſelf to anſwere whatſoeuer the crooked wits of wrangling companions might obiect. And therfore aſſured of the fruitfulneſſe of the booke in it ſelfe, I commend the profite and ſucces therof to the bleſsing of God: who only can direct the heartes and handes of men to lay houlde, and make vſe of it, aſwell for th'increaſe of their knowledge, as for the prouoking of them to like endeuours. 1. Ianuar. 1589.