Showing the Necessity of Conformity, Title page – Dedication 2
CASSANDER ANGLICANVS;
Shewing THE NECESSITY OF CONFORMITIE TO THE PRESCRIBED CEREMONIES OF OVR CHVRCH, In Caſe of Depriuation.
By IOHN SPRINT, Minister of Thornbury in Glocester-Shire, ſometimes of Chriſt. Church in Oxon.
MATTH. 12. 7.
I will hauehave merciemercy and not ſacrifice.
LONDON Imprinted by IOHN BILL. ANNO M. DC. XVIII.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL Mr. DOCTOR GOODWIN Deane; and to the Canons of the Colledge of CHRIST-CHVRCH in Oxon.
FOr dedication of this booke to you (R. w.) I had direction frō the Riuers, who Eccleſ. 1. 7.empt themſelues into the Seas from whence they came. To you, by whoſe Reuerend praedeceſſors I was in common conſent choſen ſcholler into Chriſt-Church; by whom that ſmall modell of Learning which I hauehave (if I hauehave any thing in mee which may be called Learning) was deriued to me, and by whom I was of free donation, without bribe or ſute firſt placed in my paſtorall charge. Then you, I hauehave no greater patrones; for you, I hauehave no greater gift. And this I offer to your view, your cenſure, your memoriall. God euer graunt you ſo to bleſſe the Colledge of Chriſt-church, by your free elections and elocations, that the Church of Chriſt may euer bleſſe God for you, and your ſelues may feele the comfort of your well-doing in this life, and find the fruit thereof in the life to come. London 27 of April M. DC. XVIII.
Who am euer at your ſeruice in CHRIST, IO. SPRINT.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Mr. SAMVEL BVRTON, Archdeacon of the Dioceſſe of Glouceſter.
SIR:
AS it pleaſed you to appoint mee a certaine time, to giuegive anſwere of my purpoſe, or refuſal of Conformitie: So I hauehave at laſt reſolued to offer it vntounto you in theſe my Letters; Confeſsing ingenuouſly, (for ſome respects ſeeming weighty to my poore iudgement) my vnwillingneſſe thereto, if by any meanes I might auoide it: Howbeit, ſeeing I ſee the ſway of Authoritie ouer-ruling, and inforcing thereunto, partly in obedience to it, and partly for other more important reaſons ſwaying my Conſcience; I giuegive you to vnderſtand, that I am reſolued to Conforme. To the which reſolution, I confeſſe I was the rather drawen, by the mixture of your diſcreete proceedings, yet not ſo much driuen thereunto by your publike authoritie, as drawen by your priuate lenitie and kindneſſe, and vndeſerued respect vntounto my meanneſſe; I being well acquainted with the common condition of mans will which may be induced, when it cannot be inforced. And I trust with equall good conſcience and ſucceſſe, to proceede and continue in ſeruice vntounto God and to his Church in this my Conformitie, as before I did in not Conforming: And I heartily wiſh, that in the like caſe all others did the like. This I can ſay, that my indeauours hauehave not beene wanting to perſwade others, wherein I hauehave preuailed with not a few: And I am perſwaded, that if my reaſons of this point, might ſee the light (authoritie giuing way thereunto) it would more preuaile to induce men of contrarie iudgement, then many other bookes penned to that purpoſe. Not for any worth of Art or reading that is in them more then others, my ſelfe being the meaneſt of many thouſands for a matter of this nature: But partly in reſpect of the qualitie of the penner, (which hauehave beene I confeſſe a Non-conformitan) and partly becauſe of the concluſion prooued, which inforceth the imputation of a ſinne vponupon the ſufferers of ſilencing for not conforming; a matter which of all things the Miniſters of this kinde will least indure: And partly alſo for the ſufficiency of the Truth preſented in thoſe reaſons.
Now, if any ſhall thinke the booke vnfit to bee publiſhed, becauſe it reacheth not home to prooue the conueniency or neceſsitie of the Ceremonies themſelues: they may bee pleaſed to conſider, that this poſition of mine, being onelyonly propoſed by way of preſuppoſall, concludeth nothing to croſſe that. I hauehave endeauoured to prooue this, others (whoſe knowledge and dexteritie is greater) hauehave libertie to prooue further if they pleaſe. But this I may more then probably affirme, that the very moſt of not conforming Ministers will hearken vntounto this, when (I am aſſured) they will not vntounto that. My reaſons I offer to your Learned view, and correction of authoritie. If any thing bee found in them hindering the paſſage thereof, I wiſh it bee cenſured with a Deleatur: For that my intention is not raſhly to thruſt out any thing offenſiue to authoritie, but that which may bee to the profit of the Church: Which I humbly deſire of God in this, and al other mine indeauours for his owne names ſake. To whoſe ſauing grace in Christ, I commend you, with many thankes for your many vndeſerued fauours. This 21. of October 1617. Thornebury.
By yours humbly at command in Chriſt, IO. SPRINT.