Against Popery, Treatise · Preface
THE PREFACE.
IT cannot be denied but that many excellent, learned, and godly men, hauehave both plentifully and ſoundly, and alſo profitably and fruitfully written, moſt worthie treatiſes for confutation of all particular points of poperie, and like wiſe for confirmation of all particular points of our religion. In this treatiſe alſo the myſterie of iniquitie in poperie is ſo fully diſcouered, and the truth of our religion from point to point particularly ſo euidently declared, that all men of any iudgement, exerciſed in thoſe treatiſes may eaſily ſee both the one & the other: yea many hauehave ſeene & doe ſee both the one & the other. Notwithſtanding as many hauehave ſeene & doe ſee it, ſo alſo Satan the god of this world doth ſtil detaine many in their former blindnes and ignorance. Yea the nearer that his kingdome is to an ende, the more diligently he goeth about like a roaring lyon ſeeking ſtill whome he may deuoure. Therefore he ceaſeth not by his chiefe inſtrument the man of ſinne, and child of perdition (I meane the Biſhop and Pope of Rome) continually to ſend forth into all corners of the realme ſwarmes of Ieſuits and Seminarie prieſts, as to harden thoſe in poperie that hauehave not yet renounced that profeſſion, ſo alſo to infect other there with that are either of no religion, or that hauing embraced ours are not yet ſufficiently ſetled and grounded therein. And truly both waies he doth the more preuaile, partly becauſe many hauehave not abilitie to buie the bookes of particular controuerſies betwixt vsus and the Papiſts they beeing ſome what coſtly, partly becauſe they hauehave no leiſure to read them beeing many and large, and partly becauſe they hauehave no iudgement to conceiue of them beeing matters of learning and learnedly handled. Where he cannot effect that which he would for the hardening of men in poperie, or drawing them to poperie, there he goeth another waie to worke, either corrupting them with ſome other hereſie, or making them altogether profane, and working in them a contempt of all religion. Becauſe all is one to him, whether men be Papiſts, or other heretikes, or of no religion at all.
2 Thus therefore ſeeing true religion eueryevery where to decay, & the kingdome of Satan more and more daily to be enlarged partly by poperie, partly by other hereſies, and partly by profanenes, and contempt of all religion, I hauehave thought good an other waie to trie the conuerſion both of the ignorant Papiſts that are yet perſwaded their religion to be ſound and true, and that wherein they pleaſe God, and alſo of other heretikes and profane perſons themſelues, if it be poſſible, and likewiſe the confirmation and ſtrengthening of ſuch as profeſſing our religion in ſhewe, are notwithſtanding vnſtaied and wauering, and therefore readie to be drawne any other waie. To all theſe therefore I doe here offer theſe generall arguments following, in defence of our religion, and againſt poperie, ſo briefly and plainely ſet downe, that euen all that are not able to goe to the price of bookes of particular controuerſies, or that cannot intende the reading of them to waigh and conceiue them, may yet generally ſee the truth of our religion, and the falſhood of poperie, and ſeeing theſe things, may likewiſe more ſeriouſly conſider of our religion: and contrarily of the moſt daungerous, fearefull, and wretched eſtate of all Papiſts, and likewiſe of all other that are not as yet of our religion; that ſo the one ſort may not forſake our holy fellowſhip, and the other may ioyne with vsus: and that both ioyned together in one truth, may zealouſly profeſſe it, bringing forth plentifull fruits thereof. Neither would I hauehave men wholly to content them-ſelues with theſe generall reaſons, neglecting particular treatiſes of particular controuerſies, but rather by this treatiſe to be the more encouraged to the reading of the other, and to be made the fitter, and eueryevery waie the more able to iudge of them.
3 That all men may the better ſee my meaning in this whole treatiſe, and know the ſtate of the whole cauſe: by our religion, I doe here vnderſtand the religion now eſtabliſhed & publikely by publike authoritie profeſſed in England; and ſuch other Churches as hauehave iuſtly forſaken Rome, and are in good meaſure well reformed according to the word of God contained in holy Scripture. To ſpeake more plainly, I meane by our religion that ſubſtance & doctrine of faith, wherein we diſſent from the Church of Rome, and doe all of vsus conſent among our ſelues, both we with thoſe other Churches, and thoſe other Churches with vsus in this land. By poperie like wiſe I vnderſtand, all that doctrine of the church of Rome, which differeth and diſſenteth from this our religion, & the doctrine held and profeſſed publikely here in England, & other Churches in like manner reformed. In this treatiſe therefore I doe vndertake by plaine and euident argumēts fit for the capacitie of all ſorts both poore and rich, both learned & vnlearned, though they can read or vnderſtand onelyonly the engliſh tongue, to prooue that this our religion is of God, and that which God as touching the ſubſtance and doctrine thereof, doth well accept and like of: and contrarily, by like arguments as plainely to ſhew that poperie is not of God, and therefore alſo not in any account with him, but abominable and deteſtable in in his ſight.