Concerning the Truth of Christian Religion, Dedication 2
To the right high & mightie Prince, Henrie king of Nauarre, Souereigne of Bearne, and a Peere and chief Prince of the bloud royall of France.
IN this wretched time Sir, wherein vngodlinesse (which was woont but to whisper men in the eare, and to mumble betweene the teeth) hath bin so bold as to step into the pulpit, and to belke out blasphemies against God and his Gospell: I take vponupon mee (though a new kind of hardinesse, as in respect of the small abilitie that God hath put into mee) to conuince hir, euen by hir owne principles and peculiar records, that if I cannot make hir to come backe againe to a better mind, I may at leastwise yet make hir hold hir peace for shame, and keepe close hir venim in hir hart: A right great enterprise, and (in the iudgement of most men) ouerhard, but yet such as wherein I see great helpes to imbolden me; namely the World, Man, the open examples of all ages, and (at one Woord) God himselfe (who neuer faileth those which seeke his glorie) and all that euer he hath vttered concerning himselfe, as well in the creating as in the go…ering of all things. The world, for that it is as a shadow of Gods brightnesse: and Man, for that he is his image and likenesse: And both of them, for that if it appeare euen by the philosophers themselues, that the World was made for man, how greatly then are we bound vntounto the Creator thereof? How great is the dignitie of this creature? and what else is his shooteanker and his welfare, but to sticke wholly vntounto God? Soothly he for whom the world was made, must needes bee made for more than the World. He for whome so durable and substantiall a thing was made, must needs be made for another than this fraile and wretched life, that is to wit for the euerlasting life, with him that is the euerlasting. And that is the foundation of all Religion. For Religion (to speake properlie) is nothing else but the schoole wherein we learne mans dutie towards God, and the way to be lincked most straightly vntounto him. Againe, in the world we see a stedie and fastsettled order, and eueryevery creature to do seruice in his sort. OnelyOnly man withdraweth his dutie, shrinking from God, and wandring away in himselfe. He that is most indebted, is lothest to pay and least able to pay. He for whome the highest thinges are made, is become a bondslaue to the basest and vilest thinges: And the Recordes of all ages are as inditements against all mankind; prouing him to be vnthankfull to God, a murtherer of his neighbors, a violater of nature, and an enemie to himself. Shall not he then, which instead of dooing his dutie, is not asbamed to offend God, stand in dread of the death which wayteth vponupon him for his offence? …es: for what is God, but Iustice? What is Iustice, but a iudgement of duety? And before that iudgement who dareth appeare? What remedy than is there, both for Gods glorie and for mans welfare: but that the debt be discharged by release, and the Iustice satisfied with free fauour? The duty therfore of trew Religion, is to conuict vsus by the Law, and to iustifie vsus by grace, to make vsus feele our discase, and there with all to offer vsus remedy. But who shall purchase vsus this grace so necessarie for mans welfare? Either the world (as we thinke) or else man. Nay, what is there in man (I say euen in the best man) which burneth not before Gods Iustice, and which setteth it not on fire? And what shall become of the world then, if man for whom it is created be vnable to stand? soothly it is the welbeloued sonne of God that must stand for all: the righteous for the vnrighteous, the mightie for the vnmightye, the rich for the poore, the dearling and the welbeloued for them that are in the displeasure and curse of God his father, and the same (say I) is our Lorde Iesus Christ. The foole (sayth the Psalmist) hath said in his heart,Psalme. 14, Auicen the Arabian. There is no God. And a Heathen man hath passed yet further, saying: Hee that denieth the one God and his prourdence in all thinges, is not onelyonly witlesse, but also senselesse. And his so saying is, because the world which offereth it selfe continually vntounto vsus, replenisheth our wittes with the knowledge of God: euen in this respect, that with one view of the eye, we see this vniuersall masse furnished with so many and so diuerse thinges, linked one to another, and tending all to one marke. Traly I dare say and by Gods grace I dare vnderunder take to prooue, that whosocuer will lay before him wholly in one table (so as he may see them together with one view) the promises and prophesies concerning Christ, the comming of our Lord Iesus and the proceeding of his Gospell, he shall not be able to deny, euen by the very rules of Philosophie, but that he was sent of God, yea and that he was God himself. Howbeit, in this lyeth our fault, that (whether it be through ignoraunce or through negligence) we consider not the incomparable worke of our creator and Recreator, but by piecemeale, without laying the one of them to the other: like as if a man would iudge of the whole space of time by the night, or by some one season of the yeare, or by some one of the Elements: or as if he would iudge of a building by some one quarter: or of an Oration by some syllables thereof: whereas notwithstanding, Gods wisedome in creating thinges cannot be considered, but in the vnion of the partes with the whole, and of themselues among themselues: nor his goodnesse in recreating or renewing them, and in regenerating of mankind for whom he made the world, but by the heed full conferring of all times from the first byrth of Man vntounto the seconde byrth, and repairing of him againe, which it hath pleased God to ordaine and make for him.
As for the world, it is sufficiently conuersant before our eyes, and would God it were lesse grauen in our hartes: and therefore let vsus leaue the world, and busie our selues in the vniuersall table of mans saluation and reparation. When man had by his sinne drawne Gods wrath and the decay of the world vppon his owne head: Gods euerlasting wisedome, euen the same whereby God had created him, stepped in and procured his fauour, so as it was promised vntounto the first man, that Christ should come and breake the serpents head, and make attonement betweene God and man. That was the foundation-stone of the wonderfull building of the Church, and the seede whereof men were to be regenerated new againe, whome God did as it were create, beget, and adopt new againe in his sonne, which is his euerlasting wisedome. This promise was deliuered ouer from hand to hand, and conueyed from Father to Sonne, solemnly declared to Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob: committed as a pawne by Moses to the people of Israell, celebrated by Dauid in his songs, and renewed from time to time by many excellent Prophets, which pointed out the time, place, and manner of his comming, and sette downe plainly and expresly his stocke, his parents and his birth, many hundred yeares, yea and some thousand yeares a forehand: which are such thinges as noman could know, nor any creature teach or conceiue. What were they else therefore but Herauldes that foreshewed the comming of the king of the world into the world: and certes by another spirite than the spirite of the world: After a long successe of these Herauldes, came the sauiour in the selfe same manner which they had foretolde and painted out. Whatsoeuer they had saide of him, agreed vntounto him, and which more is could agree to none but him. Who then can doubt that the promise is not performed, and that he is not the bringer of the promised grace to the World? And seing that the prophets could not tell any tidings of him but from God, from whence can he be sent but from God? I know well that this one thing is a stumbling blocke vntounto vsus, namely that after the sounding of so many clarions and trumpets, we see a man in outward show base, and to the sight of our fleshly eies contemptible, come into the world; whereas notwithstanding if we opened the eies of our mind, we should contrariwise espie in that wretchednesse, the verie Godhead, and in that humane weakenesse, the selfesame infinite almightines which made both the world and man. He was borne say you: but of a virgin. He was weake: but yet with his onelyonly voice he healed all infirmities. He died: but yet he raized the dead, and rose himselfe from the dead too. If thou beleeue that, thou beleeuest that he was both sent and susteined by God. Or if thou wilt doubt thereof, tell mee then how he did the things after his death, which are witnessed by thine owne histories? As soone as he was borne say I, he by and by chaunged the outward shape of the world, making it to spring new again all after another sort. When he was once crucified, he turned the reproch of his crosse into glorie, and the curse thereof into a blessing. He was crowned with thornes, and now Kings and Emperors doo cast downe their crownes and Diademes at his feete. What a death was that, which did such things as all the liuing could not doo? By ignorance he subdued learning; by folly, wisedome; by weakenesse, power, by miserie, victorie; by reproch, triumphs; by that which seemed not to be, the things which seemed verily and chiefly for to be. Twelue Fisher-men in effect, did in short space subdue the whole world vntounto him, by suffering and by teaching to suffer, yea and by dying, and by teaching to die And the great Christian kingdomes which we now gaze at, and which we exalt so much, are but small remnants of their exploites, and little pieces of their conquests. If his birth offend thee, looke vppon the Heraulds that went a fore him, and vppon the Trumpetters that told tidings of him, both in the beginning and in the chiefe state of the world, from whom, but from him that made the worlde? And wherefore in all ages, but for the welfare of the world? If his crosse offend thee, see how the Emperours and their Empyres, the Idols whom they worshipped, and the deuils whom they serued. Lye altogether ouerthrowne, broken in pieces, fast bound and striken dumbe at the feete of this crucified man. And how, but by a power passing the power of man passing the power of Kings, passing the power of Angels, yea, passing the power of all creainpes together… If the little show of the Apostles moue thee: consider how the silionettes of those Fishermen, dre we the pride of the world, namely … wise-men, the Philosophers, and the Orators, by ignorance (as thou tearmest it) to beleeue, and by folly to die for beleiuing. And forbeleaing of what? euen of things contrary to the lawe of the world, and to the witte of man: namely that this Iesus Christ crucified is God, and that it is a blesfull thing to indure all misfortune for his sake. Behold also how one of them drawes me into his nette the lesser Asia, another Italye, the third AEgypt. And some other of them extend vntounto the s…ythians, the Ethiopians, and the Indians, and vntounto other places, whither the power of the most renowned Empyres did neuer attaine, and which hauehave hardly come to our knowledge now within these bundred yeares, and yet hauehave we euen there found very great conquests of theirs… & like renowmed to…ens of their victories as are heere among our selues. Nay, which more is, see how these conquero… enriched with … from him, and that they be nothing, further foorth than they are in him and for him? that is to say, that he liueth and maketh th…m to liue, yea euen for e…er, which die in him and for him. surely vppon the considering of this table, we become as men rauished, distraught, and besides our selues,… and hauehave nothing to say, but that hee which created man and the world of nothing, and none other was able to make and regenerate man and the world againe of nothing, euen in despite of man and the world This inuisible God which hath made himselfe visible by creating the visible world & hath she wed himselfe almightic, in … infirmitie of con temptible man, is the … Man, the Sonne of God, and is come in the flesh … Lord.
Heere Sir, you hauehave in few wordes the …oot-anker of this booke, wherein I declare the trewnesse of the christian Religion, and that (as I hope) with such Reasons, that the despisers of God, if they will …leeue, shall at leastwise find themselues graueled to gainsay it. Moreouer to offer this to your Maiestie, I hauehave chiefly two causes, the one is, that God hath made you to be borne, not onelyonly a Christian, but also a Christian Prince, to whom it belongeth chiefly both for himselfe and for others, to knowe what the Christian Religion is. For ye shalbe the more instamed to adu…unce it, when you be throughly perswaded that it is not a deuise of man as other Religions are, but the Law and truth of God, which maketh both kings and kingdoms. and hath made you a man…ye … and set you ouer men. To be short, that it is both your prospe…itie in this life which dependeth vppon Gods gratious goodnes, and your welfare in the other life which is of far greater importance, than all that euer we can endure or attaine vntounto here.
The other reason is, that forasmuch as God hath called me to be about your Maiestie (as I hope) to do you seruice in that notable worke which he is about to doe in our daies to his glory, and wherein he hath put into your hart to imploy your person without sparing of your life: reason would that the fruits both of my labors and of my leisure should be yours, as well as the field is yours, without that it should be in my power to dispose otherwise thereof. And I pray the almighty to increase his grace in you from day to day, and to giuegive vntounto you his spirit to go for ward with his worke, and vntounto me to do you seruice to the vttermost of my small power as long as I lyue. Amen.
Your most humble, obedient, and faithfull Seruant, Du. Plessis.