Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Dedication 3
To the youth addicted to true godlineſſe, health &c.
THou haſt vnderſtodde, moſt dearely beloued youth, and flower of the Church, the purpoſe of this my little worke, by the preface to the moſt noble Elector Palatine, onelyonly it remaineth that thou take it with the ſame hande wherewith it is reached vntounto thee, that is with the right hand and not with the left. That ſhalbe done, if I ſhall acheiue my purpoſe, and by the grace of God, ſhall kindle many from amongeſt you, to the feruent ſtudy of the holy ſcriptures. Surely I my ſelfe being but yet a boye, was wōderfully kindled with a deſire both of learning & teaching others concerning God; in outward ſhew vponupon very ſmall occaſion, but indeede vponupon very great: for I fell vponupon the writing of a certaine excellent learned man, where almoſt euen to this purpoſe he exhorteth youth: there is nothing more excellent (ſaith he) than for men to teache others, concerning God as touching the creation of mankinde, of mans fall into ſinne, of reconciliation and reſtoring of him againe through the ſonne of God that ſame promiſed ſeede of the woman, that ſhall bruſe the head of the ſerpent, &c. Theſe ſeemed to me altogether religious and holy ſayings, and it pleaſed the Lord by theſe wordes to kindle in me ye ſparkes of a feruent deſire both of learning and in time to come, of inſtructing others, either in the ſchoole, or in the Church. For I ſet before mine eies the company of young men in the ſchoole, alſo the flocke of learners in ye Church: What can be more notable (thought I) then to hauehave there before me, not onelyonly young men, but alſo hoare headed huſbandmen, who together with thy ſelfe are baniſhed frō paradiſe, for ſinne, & like Adā til ye earth, who for their old age are reuerend, and as fathers: many women alſo, who are as mothers: if the Lord will hauehave thee to ſpeake his word vntounto theſe, and to inſtruct them of God, of the creation and preſeruation of the worlde, of the ſubtiltie of the ſerpent deceauing man, of the promiſed ſaluation by the ſeede of the woman: what can be more comfortable, what can happen vntounto thee, more to be wiſhed for of God? ſeeing without the knowledge of theſe thinges men liue more miſerably than brute beaſts. The Lord continually after that time nouriſhed theſe ſparks in me, by his holy ſpirit, and by the reading of the holy ſcriptures. I was then a boye of fifteene yeres olde, and a little before, for ſtudies ſake, ſent to Paris by my parents. But to what ende ſpeake I theſe thinges ſo familiarly? I ſpeake as a young man, to young men: hoping, that it will come to paſſe, yt thoſe things which were not of ſmall moment in my minde, will likewiſe in your mindes kindle the ſparkes, which may engender that earneſt deſire aſwell of learning, as of teaching. And ſo much the more, whē you ſhall perceaue your ſelues, not only prouoked by my example, but alſo (God giuing you grace,) holpen by this my little labour. For although before I was ſixteene yeres old, whē I was ſent to Paris, I had ſome direction by my ſchoolemaiſters, who yearely before Eaſter did expounde vntounto vsus in the ſchoole called Treuiror, the paſſion of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and were wont according to the meaſure God had giuen them, to conferre the figures of the olde Teſtament, with the accompliſhing thereof by the paſſion of Chriſt (a thing very comfortable, & which afterwards, by the grace of God, opened vntounto me the whole ſcope of the ſcriptures:) yet notwithſtanding that handleading was more dark & obſcure, by reaſon of the multitude of mens traditiōs, in which, Chriſt dead & raiſed vp againe was wrapped & darkened, in the popedome, ſo, that I coulde not well vſe that light, which by the conference & comparing of thoſe figures, and the fulfilling of the thinges themſelues I did ſee to ſhine in the paſſion of Chriſt: But yet for all that, that ſame weake foreknowledge in his time, God bleſſing it, wanted not his excellent fruite. But here dearely beloued youth, you ſhall ſee Chriſt, dead, and raiſed vp againe, without any mazes of mens traditions, ſo liuely ſet before your eies, that by ye ſure and vndoubted propheticall and apoſtolicall worde, as it were by the hand, yea as by a light ſhining in a dark place being brought vntounto him, you may knowe him truely to be the ſame, who was made vntounto vsus of God, to be our wiſedome, righteouſneſſe, ſanctification and redemption, as it is written. All that glory, let them glory in the Lorde. 1. Cor. 1. and that we are compleate in him: to ye Coloſſ. 2. Laſt of al for aſmuch as the vnthankefulneſſe of the world, doth driue away and feare many both from learning and teaching, goe to, ſhall not Chriſt puniſh the worlde for this vnthankefulneſſe? If he remaine faithfull, ought not this to ſatiſfie vsus? Chriſt the Lord of heauen and earth will not ſuffer you ſeruing him, to be altogether deſtitute of neceſſary things: but he that prouideth ſeede to the ſower, he alſo will prouide bread for foode. I hauehave oftentimes thought of that ſame ſaying of Chriſt, Luk. 22. When I ſent you without bagge and ſcrippe and ſhoes, wanted ye any thing? his diſciples aunſwered, Nothing: yea, they did not once remember, whether they ſhould neede any helpe, for their iourny, & executing of their office. The ſame Chriſt yet liueth & raigneth God for euer, who hath ye hearts of all in his hands, yt he may do good to all faithfull paſtors: euen as he had commanded (be it yt he ſpake neuer a word) to the widowe of Sarepta, that ſhee ſhould giuegive foode to her ſeruant Elias. I hauehave alſo oftentimes thought of that ſame ſaying of Daniel: that the reward of Chriſt his ſeruantes are laide vp for them, in the heauens. The teachers (ſaith he) ſhall ſhine, as the brightnes of the firmament, and they that hauehave brought others vntounto righteouſnes, ſhall ſhine as the ſtarres in euerlaſting times. Let vsus therefore content our ſelues in our calling, with meane things, and reſigne ouer our ſelues to our heauenly father to be fed through Chriſt at his hands, we, our wiues and our children: for he is the true father, and will neuer be vnmindefull of compaſſion, & a fatherly care ouer vsus, and ſo much the leſſe he will be vnmindefull, by how much we ſhall be more mindefull of our calling. We may therefore ſafely committe our ſelues and ours to his prouidence, which ought to ſuffice for the ouercomming of all hinderaunces & letts, ſpecially to them to whom God is all in all.
Farewell.