Two Sermons and The Lords Supper, Title page – Dedication
Two very lerned Sermons of M. Beza, togither with a ſhort ſum of the ſacrament of the Lordes Supper:
Wherevnto is added a treatiſe of the ſubſtance of the Lords Supper, wherin is breflie and ſoundlie diſcuſſed the p…incipall points in controuerſie, concerning that queſtion. By T. W.
2. CORINTH. 13.5. Prooue your ſelues vvhether ye are in the faith: Examine your ſelues. Knovv ye not your ovvne ſelues, hovv that Ieſus Chriſt is in you, except ye be reprobats?
AT LONDON Printed by Robert Walde-graue, for T. Man, and T. Gubbins. Anno. 1588.
TO THE RIGHT honorable and verie vertuous ladie, Brigit, counteſſe of Bedford: and to the right worſhipfull and his verie good freends, ſir CHARLES MORISINES knight, and the ladie DOROTHIE MORISINES his wife, T. W. vvisheth togither vvith all outvvard abu… dance of vvorldlie bleſſings the continuall comfort of a good conſcience heere, and the eternall ſaluation of their ſoules at the laſt through Chriſt.
THe conſideration of the chriſtian fauors, which you (right honorable, right worſhipfull, & my verie deere freends) hauehave carried towards me, and the memorie of ſome benefits that I hauehave receiued from you, hath ſundrie times ſo affected my heart, that I could not, but in the good remembrance therof, in ſome meaſure of vnfeinedneſſe, as in reſpect of God, praiſe his holie name for thoſe his mercies, and as in regard of you, with earneſtneſſe pray vntounto him, for your proſperous eſtates, and that in the beſt things eſpeciallie, and as in conſideration of my ſelfe, thinke vponupon ſome good meane, wherby I might at the leaſt ſhew my ſelfe, in ſome ſort mindfull of, and thankefull for the ſame. Whatſoeuer I write in this behalfe, I vtter it (I humblie thanke God for it) not vaine gloriouſlie to boaſt, before God or men, in anie thing I hauehave done, for I know & feele in my ſelfe, that (ouer and beſides my groſſe & greeuous iniquities) euen in the beſt ſeruices that euer I performed in pietie towards God, or in charitie towards his people, there was by reaſon of mine owne corruption, and the imperfections that through the ſame did cleue thervnto, matter ſufficient inough, in truth to abaſe and to humble me indeed: neither yet as cunninglie to craue dailie and new kindneſſes (a vice too common in this corrupt age) the Lord hauing bin pleaſed in that behalfe, to beſtow vponupon me more ſimplicitie, than by fawning flatterie to fetch from my freends, anie thing that might ſatisfie large affections, or releeue preſent want. But to theſe ends I proteſt, and that in ſingleneſſe of heart, hauehave I declared the ſame, namelie that all my chriſtian acquaintance, and amongſt others your honour and worſhips eſpeciallie might be aſſured, that the good you hauehave doone me, though at the firſt it might ſeeme to be caſt away, in as much as preſent teſtification of my gratefull minde were not then preſt and readie, hath not yet vtterlie beene loſt, becauſe now at the length God hath inabled me by ſome ſmall meanes to declare the contrarie: and againe, that I my ſelfe feeling my ſelfe now and then, by Gods grace I doubt not (for as I know, ſo I freelie confeſſe, that in my fleſh, that is to ſay, in my ſelfe, dwelleth nothing that is good) ſtirred vp to ſuch holie duties, might receiue, not in the things as performed by my ſelf…, but as they are graces of God, flowing from his goodneſſe, and wrought by his word and ſpirit, both ſome comfort in the daies of my great greefe and heuineſſe of heart, and ſome incouragement to goodneſſe alſo, when mine owne dulneſſe and backwardneſſe to the ſame, not onelie ariſeth vp in me, but ſtandeth againſt it, as with force and might, to ſtop and hinder me therein. In regard whereof alſo, I doo at this time humblie offer and preſent vntounto you (right honorable & right worſhipfull) togither, firſt a ſound diſcourſe or two, which that learned man M. Beza wrote, and I long ago tranſlated, and withall a ſhort ſumme, that I my ſelfe penned heeretofore, and hauehave inlarged againe all of them touching that great queſtion of the Lords ſupper. For that woorthie mans woorthie works, I dare proteſt and auer, that if the excellencie, either of the man, or matter, or maner, may purchaſe a frutefull commendation, and procure fauorable acceptation (with them that feare God I meane, & louelove his truth ſincerelie) it ſhall not want either the one or the other. For as concerning the writer himſelfe, he is one of the woonders & woorthies of the world at this day, a man of rare parts euerie maner of way (whatſoeuer ſome, either of ignorance in themſelues, or pride of themſelues, barke out againſt him to the contrarie) whether we reſpect ſound knowledge and iudgement, in the toongs and trueth of God, or faithfull paines, and frutefull trauels in his miniſterie and place. And as for the worke, it concerneth a great ground of our chriſtian faith, and the ſame controuerted, not onlie betweene the ſuperſtitious papiſts and vsus, in the queſtion of tranſubſtantiation, but with ſuch alſo as in the common profeſſion of Gods holie word and religion, we charitably take for our brethren, thogh otherwiſe in this point, ouerſhot as we ſay, & ouerſeene alſo. The maner of handling is deepe & profound, and not ſhallow or meane, after the maner and dealing of other men, there being for the more full explication of the queſtion, deducted and laid out, ſundrie of the fundamentall points and principles of our chriſtian faith, and namelie touching the ſeuerall and diſtinct natures of God and man, and the perſonall vnion of them in our ſauiour Chriſt. But for mine owne I mind not to ſay much, ſpeciallie as in commendation therof. That which I thinke, I will plainelie expreſſe, and proteſt alſo, namelie that as nothing of mine, is in anie reſpect meet, to behold the light of this learned age, both by reaſon of mine owne wants & inſufficiencie, and alſo by means of the great ripeneſſe of knowledge and iudgement, that God hath ſhed abrode into the hearts of manie men: ſo I confeſſe my ſelfe & my writings, much more vnwoorthie, either the ſame day to be named with that woorthie man of the world, or anie maner of way to be ioined with his. And yet if the church approoue that which I doo, and the godlie receiue ſome profit by it to ſpirituall edification, I ſhall much reioice therin, not as in reſpect of that I hauehave doone (for I acknowledge my ſelfe to hauehave nothing ſaue that which I hauehave receiued) but as in regard of the good effects, that it hath through Gods almightie and ſecret bleſſing, brought foorth in the hearts of them, that hauehave bin or ſhalbe acquainted therewith: in which treatiſe, I hauehave ſpeciallie laboured two things. Firſt in the daies of ſo great blindneſſe and ignorance, amongſt the multitude and common ſort of people, as now preuaileth, to inſtruct the ſimple as much as I could in the ſound knowledge of theſe moſt holie myſteries, that ſo neither with the idle and vnskilfull conceits of their owne heads, nor with the ſuperſtitious and erronious opinions of other men concerning the ſame, caſt abrode into the world as baits to catch them, they might be deceiued, and carried away into vntruth, as if it were with a violent tempeſt & whirlwind. And ſecondlie, that in the midſt of ſo great and generall careleſneſſe, of fitting and preparing men for ſuch woorthie graces, as be exhibited and offered there (howſoeuer a common corruption that way, hath almoſt carried all away) I might at the leaſt, by reaching them my weake hand and feeble arme, if not altogither pull ſome out of that puddle, and ſo bring them to more comfortable and ſanctified vſe of theſe pledges of Gods grace, and their faith in the ſame, yet let them behold my louelove and ſound affection for the effecting thereof to my vttermoſt. How I hauehave purſued theſe points, and atteined that I aimed at, let the godlie iudge, to whoſe good cenſures, I doo willinglie ſubmit my ſelfe, & all things that ſhall come from me praieng charitable conſtruction in that I hauehave doone, and brotherlie admonition if anie thing I hauehave failed. How it ſhall preuaile, either with manie or anie I know not: the gratious iſſue and bleſſing thereof I leaue to the Lord, who if our ſinnes hinder not, ſtanding betweene him & vsus, as a huge and high wall, can and will no doubt make it effectuall in the minds of manie, to their ſpirituall good. But if your honor (good madame) and you (right worſhipfull and my verie good freends) togither with them that depend vponupon you, and belong vntounto you, may reape chriſtian inſtruction, and holy comfort thereby, and hauing faith & a good conſcience in all things, may by this and other holie meanes gratiouſlie grow, and mightilie continue, with the increaces of God, euen vntounto the fruition of eternall life at the laſt through Chriſt, I ſhall hauehave that, which I greatlie wiſh & deſire, and ſhall thinke my poore paines well ſatisfied & anſwered, in the good that ſhall light vponupon them, whom I doo (as dutie alſo requireth) vnfeinedlie both reuerence and louelove in Ieſus Chriſt. Thus humblie praieng pardon of my boldneſſe for this dedication, and earneſtlie crauing acceptation of my ſimple trauels, according to that accuſtomed courteſie that you are woont to ſhew to them, that come to ſhroud themſelues vnderunder you, I doo in the moſt dutifull maner that I may or can for this preſent time end. At London the ſixt of this Februarie: 1587.
Your honors and vvorships alvvaies dutifull and bounden in Chriſt Ieſus T.W. the Lordes vnvvoorthie ſeruant.