The Plea of the Innocent, To the reader
To all the Reverend Fathers, the Biſhops of this lande, & to all the godly learned Miniſters of Ieſus Chriſt, & to all the true and faithful favourers of the holie faith and religion, now publikelie profeſſed and maintayned in Englande: IOSIAS NICHOLS the leaſt of the leaſt of all Gods Saintes, wiſheth all grace, peace and ioye in beleeuing.
A Good name (ſayeth Salomon) is to be choſen aboue greate riches,Prou. 22.1. and louing fauour is aboue ſiluer, & aboue gold. Which then is most excellent, when it is founde in the feare of God, A good report & namely of a miniſter, is a precius thing.and our light ſhineth to the glorie and praiſe of God. But the name of a Miniſter is yet of more regarde, by whoſe ſtanding and falling many are drawne, and the reproach of ſuch men reacheth nerest to the heauens, and God is moſt diſhonoured by their diſhonour: for he hath ſaid, I vvill be ſanctified in thē that come neere me:Leuit. 10.3. and before all the people I vvill bee glorified. Howbeit, the Goſpell proclaimeth all them bleſſed, who for Chriſtes ſake are reuiled, and againſt whome, men doe falſlie ſay all maner of euill. For wicked men and infidels ſpeak euill of them, which runne not with them to the ſame exceſſe of riotte: and beaſtlie men will vtter lewd wordes, againſt thoſe thinges they know not. Heereof it commeth, that many men fall away, beeing not able to be are the reproach: yet he which beleeueth as he ſpeaketh, & knoweth what he beleeueth: he ſuffereth as a Chriſtian, and is not aſhamed, but glorifieth God in this behalfe. Notwithſtanding when a brother ſhall reproach his brother,Chriſtians to reproach one the other, hurtful to the Church. and one Christian ill an other, and the houſe of God ſhall be deuided: then is it moſt dangerous. For there will the enemie of mankinde, cast in many burning fire brandes and heape on much drye wood, that we might be all conſumed one of another. And ſuch (my moſt reuerend and beloued brethren) hath beene our caſe and condition:The ſtate of manie godlie Miniſters becauſe we hauehave deſired & ſought after the good proceeding and perfection of our Church, in the ſeruice and worſhip of Chriſt, and withholden our hands from doeing and allowing of ſome thinges, in our iudgement, hurtfull to the ſame, and contrariant to the Ghoſpell of trueth: Wee hauehave ſuffered & endured much reproach and contempt: which we hauehave patientlie borne, and with great ſilence, for diuers yeares ſuſtayned: that on our part, the ſacred worde of righteouſnes, might not be ill ſpoken of and as much as in vsus lyeth, wee might cut of all occaſions to the common aduerſarie, to preuaile againſt the holy church of Chriſt, which is among vsus. But now it ſeemeth to me, that notwithſtanding all this,The cauſes of this treatiſe. the ſtate of thinges is worſe then euer before: and I can not tell whether our conniuence in ſuffering all euill ſpeeches againſt vsus, hath done the Church harme. For nowe the Papiſt beginne to comfort themſelues, yea they challeng vntounto them the name of honeſt and true men and good ſubiectes: and by the reproachfullname of Puritan, al godlie Proteſtants are moſt cunninglie depraued. To hauehave beene called preciſian, Puritane hoatheaded, proud, contentious, ſchiſmatickes and troublers of the Church, wee hauehave borne it patientlie (God knowing our innocencie) and could yet be are it more; ſo as by our ſuffring of contempt, the Church of England, might receaue honour, and Gods people reioyce vnderunder good guiding paſtoures. But when it is growne ſo far, that we are called & accounted worſe then Papiſts, enemies to the ſtate, worſe then Seminarie prieſtes, like Ieſuites, ſubuerters of the common wealth & enemies to her Maieſties moſt royall Crowne and dignitie (for whoſe ſafetie wee doe continuallie and inſtantlie pray) and that this is ſo farre growne, that the traiterous prieſtes doe brag of extraordinarie fauour, and vnderunder the name of Puritans moſt frandulentlie and with moſt groſſe and palpable lying and ſlaundring, traduce all Chriſtian Churches: ſo that wee verely thinke that if ſuch thinges goe forward, they will in a ſhort time cauſe a moſt wofull ouerthrow of the whole ſtate & of the Chriſtian Church among vsus: we cannot now forbeare any longer, but that wee muſt needes ſhew vntounto all the worlde our innocencie: that the wrong which by ill & falſe report hath bene done vntounto vsus, thorow our negligēce & want of honeſt defence, be not made a ſtrong forge and a cloſe mightie engine, to deſtroy all the happie and godlie proceedinges of her Maieſtie, turning vp ſide downe the ioyfull flouriſhing of the Chriſtian religion & Ghoſpell. And we cannot now heale this ſoare by any priuate doing; for it is ſpread abroad ſo vniuerſall, and mens mindes are ſo vniuerſallie poſſeſſed therewith, that we hauehave no way to doe good but to come into the open theater of the worlde to pleade for our ſelues and to make manifeſt the vprightnes of our cauſe, againſt all theſe moſt falſe, vniuſt and ſlanderous imputations. Let me therefore intreate you all (Reuerend Fathers and Brethren) in godly charitie to receaue this our moſt iuſt apologie & with Chriſtian equitie to conſider of it, and with heauenlie wiſedome waying the eſtate of the Church, and the preſent neceſſitie, take euerie thing in that meaning as it is written. And I doe not doubt, but allthough the knowne and profeſſed enemie of all goodnes the popiſh faction, (which nowe theſe three and fortie yeares hauehave vſed all cunning treacherie and treaſonable platformes, to bereaue her Maieſtie (whome God almightie preſerue ſtill among vsus of this preſent light and life of this worlde, and all this Realm by that meanes, of the heauenly light and life of the world to come) though I ſay, theſe vowed enemies of the Ghoſpell and of this land, doe freat, chafe and fume; yet ſhall not you my de are brethren, neither anie honeſt Chriſtian and faithful ſubiect, hauehave anie iuſt cauſe, to miſlike this manner of writing: but rather (thorow the hande of my God vponupon me) finde and think it neceſſarie at this tyme to be publiſhed to al Chriſtian people of this Engliſh nation. For I doe heerein declare and ſhew, what hath beene our cauſe and maner of proceeding, and that as plainelie without concealement,The contents of this booke. and as faithfullie, without partialitie to our ſelues, as I may boldly auoutch eueryevery thing, to any mans conſcience, which wilbe content with trueth and all the trueth: and ſecondlie how agreing al our cauſe & doings from time to time, hath bene to the preſent eſtate, and her Maieſties proceedings in the Ghoſpell: Thirdlie in clearing our cauſe and doings of the greateſt accuſations and imputations, I make it plaine how vnequall and vniuſt the compariſon is, betweene vsus and the Papiſt: and laſtlie I doe a little tourch, ſome other things neceſſaritie appertaining to the premiſſes. Now it may bee that heerein I ſhall not ſatiſfie all men:Hard ſatiſfie all men. paraduenture I ſhall offend ſome of the reuerend Biſhoppes and ſome other learned Prelates ſtanding for conformitie: and it may bee I ſhall not perfectlie anſwer the expectatation of the godly Miniſters, who deſire reformation, or of ſome other wiſe & learned Chriſtians. Herein doubtles I hauehave cauſe to ſuſpect myne owne inſufficiencie. For who can tell how to walk perfectly with the Lord, and yet auoid all occaſions of offence, where both the parties hauehave beene at ſo hote warre, and where there are men of ſo many contrarie iudgements and affections? much leſſe a man of ſo little helpes and ſo ſmall giftes as I hauehave. How be it I craue the patience and charitable taking of this my writing of them both; and I hope they will accept my good will. For in an eſpeciall louelove toward both parties I hauehave taken this in hand: and hauehave ſet God before mine eies before them both, that ſo neere as I coulde and as far as I knowe and am able, I vtter that which is right in his ſight, not ſeeking to pleaſe ame man of either ſide: but endeuouring to doe a worke pleaſing to God, and good for his Church, I might miniſter occaſion of profit to them both. Knowing that nowe is the time that eyther ſide ſhoulde caſt of the louelove of themſelues, and turning their eies from the ſweete reflex of their owne prayſe, ioyne in one hart againſt the common enemies, for the peace, increaſe, perfection and honour of the Church of God in this land. Which my good & honeſt meaning, if I hauehave not ſo fully accompliſhed as I deſire, I humble my ſelfe vntounto God, and trauell heerein vnderunder his merciemercy: and I am readie, vponupon good demonſtration of my faulte, to make a mends and to ſatisfie eather par…ie. But if their be anye of the reuerend Fa…hers, or of the learned Prelates (which God forbid) that bee proude,I appeale from the proude. froward or malicious, and will ſtande ſtiffe vponupon their conceaued purpoſe, ſeeking them ſelues and their owne things, and not the glory of God, and the things which are Chriſts: I eſteeme them no further then they deſerue; I pray GOD amende them, and turne their heartes. So on the other ſide,& renounce all hypocrits. if their bee anye man who ſeemeth to like reformation, who yet beeing an hypocrite and falſe hearted, hath anye hidden poyſon in him (for it is no rare thing to hauehave a Iudas among twelue, and falſe creeping brethren, who woulde bring the Church into bondage, and make a praye of the ſame) as I knowe none ſuch, ſo I doe renounce them in this Apologie, and all other what ſo euer, that doe not louelove her M. with al their hart, and are not true and vpright fauourers of the Ghoſpell, as it is taught in England by publicke authoritie, or hauehave in him anye treacherous or wicked purpoſe againſt the ſame, any maner of way. And I pray God to make them to be knowne: yea if any man bee guilty in his conſcience of any euill, let him be aſhamed, and let him hide him ſelfe & ſeeke the ſhiftes of wicked men in darkneſse.
But as for vsus, our cauſe is iuſte before God, and we hauehave done no hurt to her Maieſtie, and we know and beleeue, that when the appointed time of God ſhall come, and his counſell hath ſufficientlie tried vsus: hee will bring foorth our righteouſneſſe as the light, and our iudgement as the noone day. Therefore I thinke it my duety without all feare, to open to all the world, what maner of treſpaſſers we are, and to commend to the conſcience of all wiſe, learned, and godlie Chriſtians (when they ſhall throughlie vnderſtand rightly weigh euerie thing as it is) the righteouſnes of our cauſe, and the vprightnes of our meaning. O God and heauenlie Father, thou iudge of all fleſh and ſearcher of the heart and raines, ſend forth thy light and thy trueth, iudge thou the cauſe of thy ſeruants, and take it into thy thine owne handes: And cauſe thy people to returne & diſcerne betweene the righteous and the wicked, betweene him that ſerueth God and him that ſerueth him not. And let thy gratious countenance ſhine alwaies vponupon this land and vponupon thine anointed handmaide, our Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth: defend, protect and guid her, eſtabliſh thy couenant of peace with her and this Engliſh nation for euer, euen the ſure mercies of Dauid. For thy holy Sonnes ſake Ieſus Chriſt, Amen,
At Eaſtwell in Kent this 4. of Iune. 1602.