Brotherly Persuasion to Unity and Uniformity, Title page – Dedication
A BROTHERLY PERSWASION TO VNITIE, AND VNIFORMITIE IN IVDGEMENT, AND PRACTISE TOVCHING THE RECEIVED and preſent Eccleſiaſticall gouernment, and the authoriſed rites and ceremonies of the Church of England. VVritten by Thomas Sparke Doctor in Diuinitie. And ſeene, allowed, and commanded by publike authoritie to be printed.
ROM. 12.18.
If it be poſsible, as much as in you is, hauehave peace with all men.
COR. 11.16.
If any luſt to be contentious, we hauehave no ſuch cuſtoms, nor the Churches of God.
LABORE ET CONSTANTIA
LONDON, Printed by Nicholas Okes for Roger Iackſon, and are to be ſold at his ſhop in Fleet-ſtreet neere to the great Conduit. 1607.
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE
TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE, IAMES BY THE GRACE OF GOD, OF GREAT BRITAINE, France and Ireland King, and ouer all perſons, and in all cauſes as well Eccleſiaſticall as ciuill, in theſe his dominions, next and immediatly vnderunder God, Supreme Gouernor, and defender of the ancient, Catholike and Apoſtolike Faith.
HIgh and mightie Monarch, and my moſt dread & gratious Soueraigne, being one of them, that by your moſt Honorable Councels letters, in your Maieſties name, were called to be before your highnes, at the conference at Hampton Court, and receiuing there ſuch ſatisfaction as I did by your excellent Maieſties owne moſt readie and apt anſwers to the doubts and obiections there and then propoſed: as I could not but then greatly reioyce in my heart, and praiſe and magnifie the Lord for the ſame, ſo euer ſince, though to the better ſatisfying of all others, I hauehave not onelyonly in my practiſe accordingly yealded vniuerſall conformitie, but priuately by word and writing alſo hauehave laboured to perſwade all whom I hauehave met with, to do likewiſe: yet ſeeing and obſeruing ſo many ſtil to refuſe, I could not but think it my bounden dutie to God and his Church firſt, & then to your highneſſe, by writing ſome ſhort Treatiſe to doe the beſt that I could, to further your moſt gracious & chriſtian purpoſe, reſolution, & determination in the ſaid conferēce, which was (as I conceiued it) by your moſt princely moderation, & reſolution, firſt of al in our home controuerſies amongſt our ſelues about our Churches Liturgie or Hierarchie, ſo to knit vsus all together in vnitie, & verity, as that al our forces hereafter might more ſtrongly be bent & employed againſt our common aduerſaries, ſo the better alſo after to draw them to conformity with vsus in the exerciſes, and profeſsion of our true and pure religion. And therfore now wel nigh two yeares ago, hauing writ this Treatiſe, and finding that the priuat vſe therof, though it hath done good with ſom, yet to that purpoſe could reach but to a few, it hauing in this time comd & bene in the view of ſome of the moſt reuerend Biſh. & ſo hauing alſo got allowāce by authority to be printed, & hereupon hauing bene by thē and many others which hauehave ſene & read the ſame, much vrged to publiſh it, I am bound thus to dedicate it to your Maieſty, & ſo to offer it to the ſight of all, who ſhalbe pleaſed to read it. And the rather I thought iuſtly I might ſo do, for that the ground of moſt of that I hauehave ſaid therin to the ſatisfying of my brethren, ariſes frō the ſpeeches, anſwers, & determinations that your highnes ſelf gaue in the forſaid cōference. But indeed I muſt needs confeſſe, I durſt not yet thus far hauehave aduentured, but vponupon comfortable remēbrāce of your Mai. vouchſafing the next morning after the ſaid cōference to ſend for me, & thē to giuegive me that moſt gratious coūtenāce & moſt princely kind words that you thē did, in cōſideration of a book that your highnes vnderſtood I had writtē, & bin in ſome trouble for in her Ma. time that laſt was, touching ſuccesſion. Pardon me therfore moſt gracious ſoueraign if to teſtify in ſome meaſure my loyalty and thankefulnes for the ſame, I venture now againe into your highneſse preſence, with ſo ſmall a preſent as this. For you being pleaſed to accept the ſame, & to giuegive it paſſage thus vnderunder your moſt roial patronage and protectiō, to the end aforeſaid, vndoubtedly it wil & may much the ſooner get liking and entertainment withall, & ſo alſo giuegive the better ſatisfaction and contentment to all them wherſoeuer it finds the ſame. Thus therefore once againe moſt humbly crauing pardon for this my great boldnes, & hoping of your Maieſties fauorable acceptance hereof, & moſt inſtantly vponupon the knees of my ſoule begging of the almighty, that your Highnes & your moſt royall iſſue may moſt happily & proſperouſly reign & rule ouer vsus, while the Sun & Moon endure, to his moſt gracious protection I commend your Maieſtie now and euer. From Bletchley in Buckinghamſhire. 1607.
Your Maieſties faithfull and humble ſubiect. Thomas Sparke.