The Way to True Happiness, To the reader – Argument
To the Reader.
READER,
THou wilt thinke thy time lost, and thy selfe wronged, if thou shouldst not find here what thou seekest for, I'll therefore deale plainely, and doe as I would be done by: First, if thou be a verbalist, and standest vponupon composures, here's nothing for thee: First, my Auditory was partly very learned, and so aboue words; partly very plaine, and so below them: Secondly, my selfe am both vnable, and vnwilling to stand on phrases, that, because I am clogg'd with ignorance, age, businesse; this, because I finde, that of those poore things of mine, the plainest hauehave taken best hitherto: Thirdly, the Scribe who tooke them from my mouth in the Church,Master Iohn Trapp. hath beene, contrary to my hopes, and his owne worth, superstitiously modest, else had it been easie for him to hauehave cast a better coate vponupon these ragged meditations, and rather enlarged then abridged them. And so much for that, if thy pulse beat that way. Now, secondly, if thou be a Questionist, spare thy paines; I neuer thought the Pulpit a fit place for brawles and disputes, to stirre controuersies there (yet flagrant) is but to spread them, and therefore, notwithstanding the opportunity which my Text and some mens surmises of mee,Apostolicae Doctrina expositio est falsae doctrinae optima refutatio. Cassand consultat. as if I were somewhat warping, gaue mee, I declined polemicalls, so farre as I could, and contented my selfe with positiue truths, the best confuters.
Truely, (Reader) I am not priuy to any priuate opinion, were I, that opinion which bred in me, should be buried with me too; two studies my heart abhorres, to wit, studium partium, and studium nouarum rerum: If I can study the truth first, and the peace next, I hauehave as much learning as I desire, as for credit, my highest ambition is that of his, viz. that my name may be Christian,Pacia. and my surname Catholique: wanton wits may please themselues in more ayerie walkes, sure I am of two things: First, that the most wise and learned of all sorts,Vide Amamā in oration de barbarie in his Antibar. cry downe this luxuriancy in young wits, and call them another way: And secondly, that they who know most, say least, and the maine sticklers in most controuersies, are the men, who least vnderstand where the question inter partes sticks. Lastly, if (in the third place) thou wonderest why I would giuegive way to the publishing of things so ordinary, in an age so learned, let this suffice, I feared Bellarmines feare,Vide Bellar. de scriptor Eccles. 2. Sermons of godly mourning. Alphon a Castro aduers. haeres. Abortire coactus sum. &c. being plainly told, that, if I would not publish them, others would, and I had reason to thinke so, because I am already serued so, for, whereas I had conceiued something vponupon Mathew 5. two of the younger brethen are taught to speake, before the elder be borne. Hence this anticipation, and (as one calls it) abortion. I hauehave said, now vse thy liberty.
ROBERT HARRIS.
The things handled in this ensuing Treatise deliuered Sermon-wise, are chiefely these:
1 IN generall, is shewed from the Text, what our poore condition is, when God first lookes vponupon vsus in fauour.
2 How farre forth the Lord hath engaged himselfe by Gouenant to vsus.
2 In particular, the causes of the grace spoken of in the Couenant are handled, as
1. the materiall (whereof Onenesse, Newnesse, Softnesse of heart)
2. the formall:
3. the efficient:
4. the finall, &c.
As for that obiection, how this couenant can be applyable to vsus Gentiles, which was deliuered to the Iews; It needes no answer, for in Christ, Iew and Gentile are all one, they make but one spouse, and hauehave one and the same ioynture or dowry; but for this, let the weake read the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians and Hebrewes 8. &c. and he shall easily finde, that eueryevery beleeuer is of Abraham, is Israel, is the Circumcision, as Saint Paul speakes, Phil. 3.3.