History of the First Ten Persecutions, Title page 1 – Dedication 1
A SHORT COMPEND OF THE HISTORIE OF THE FIRST TEN PERSECVTIONS MOVED AGAINST CHRISTIANS, DIVIDED INTO III. CENTVRIES.
WHEREVNTO ARE ADded in the end of eueryevery Centurie treatises arising vponupon occasion offered in the historie, clearely declaring the noveltie of Popish Religion, and that it neither flowed from the mouthes of Christs holy Apostles, neither was it confirmed by the blood of the holy Martyrs who died in these ten persecutions.
IEREM. 6. ver. 16.
Thus saith the Lord, Stand in the wayes, and behold, and aske of the old way, which is the good way, and walke therein, and ye shall find rest vntounto your soules: but they said, we will not walke therein.
LVC. 10. ver. 42.
Marie hath chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her.
EDINBVRGH, Printed by Andro Hart, and are to be solde at his shop on the North side of the high streete a litle beneath the Crosse, ANNO DOM. 16. 13.
TO THE MOST NOBLE, VERtuous and elect Ladie MARIE Countesse of Mar wisheth Grace, MercieMercy and eternall Felicitie.
IT hath pleased God (most noble and elect Ladie) to prolong my life these yeeres bypast vnderunder many infirmities of a dayly decaying tabernacle, yet my good God hath not left me destitute of comfort, to the end I might fulfil my course with joy. One of my chiefe comforts vnderunder God was your La. reuerent hearing and faithfull practising of the worde of God. I delited to see that thing begun in earth which shal be perfited in heauen. The glorified Saintes in heauen they cast down their crownes at Apoc, 4. 10.the feete of the Lambe, who sits vponupon the Throne. When noble persons in earth humblie kisses the feete of the Son of God, beares' his light burden, and submittes themselues vntounto his easie yoke, then some resemblance of the heauen is found in the earth. The rarer this vertue is, the more I reverenced it in your La, person, and the oftener I commended your noble houshold to God, and to the worde of his grace, which is able to build further, and to giuegive you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.Acts 20. 32.
The Queene of Adiabene HELENE when she left her owne countrie and came to dwell at Ierusalem, she filled the bellies of the poore with the cornes of Egypt, and the Euseb. lib. 2. Cap. 12. loseph. antiquit lib. 20, cap. 2,fruits of Cyprus (forit was a yeere of vniuersal famine) and spared for no cost to doe good to the Saincts that were in Ierusalem: therefore her name is vntill this day in reuerent remembrance. And in our dayes, honorable Ladies, who refreshes the barren soules of ignorant people in this land with examples of humilitie, modestie, godlinesse and all other Christian vertues, many generations after vsus shall call them blessed. The Lord in merciemercy augment the number of honorable persons who rejoyce to goe vntounto the house of the Lord. These are the toppes of the mountaines, which beeing once free and not couered with ouerflowing waters it is a comfortable presage that the great flood that drowned the world shall be abated. These Genes. 85are the Minerals of gold and siluer, which are not easily found out, but after they are discouered, they replenish the land with infinit treasures of riches. The Prophet ZACHARIE when he saw in that celestiall vision IEHOSHVA his Zach. 3.body honoured with change of apparell, wished also the Diademe to be set vponupon his heade: but if he had seene the Diademe set vponupon his head, and the body lapped vp with ragges of vile apparel, hee had wished the body also to be honoured with ornaments proportionallie agreeing to the heade. It hath pleased the wisedome of our God in this part of the countrie, whereinto I dwell, first to decke with glorious ornaments the head: the Lord in merciemercy cloth the body also with change of rayment, to the end that Satan that vigilant enemie who delighteth in the filthie ragges of our beggerly apparel may be grieued for our change from worse to better. I speake the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing me witnesse, that it is lawfull to me, toreuerence the image of Christ, where euer I see it clearely shining, either in rich or in poore. And so much the more, because it was my lot to conferre with many persons of a contrarie religion, whom I found to be like reprobat siluer, fra whō the drosse could not be separated. What is next? If they will harden their heartes against the truth of God, then let the dead burie their dead, but let the noble house of Mar follow Christ. Receiue from my hands Madam this short cōpend of the ten first & great persecutions, with certaine treatises added to the compend of the historie, and be not afraid to follow the religion, and faith of the Apostles and Euangelists: because their eares heard the words of the great shepheard of our soules, their eyes saw God manifested in the flesh, they were chosen to be faithful witnesses to the world of the doings, sufferings and doctrine of Christ: the holy Ghost was sent to teach them in all trueth. Here we may rest vponupon a sure foundation, against the which the gates of hell cannot preuaile. Next to the Apostles, their true successours are to be had in reuerent regard, who sealed vp that faith, which they receiued from the Apostles with riuers of blood for the space of three hundreth yeeres. To this antiquitie of Apostolicke doctrine, let vsus firmely adhere. This is the clearest mirrour whereinto the precepts of wholesome doctrine are contained. After the holy Apostles had finished their course, the disciples of the Apostles were worthie men, yet not like vntounto the Apostles who had bene both called & taught immediatly by Christ. If any doūg was in their sacrifices, it was couered by the glory of their sufferings: the fire wherwith they were burnt, the water wherinto they were drouned, the aire wherinto their bodies were hanged vp, the mountaines & wildernes through which they wandered, the darke prisons whereinto they were enclosed as people vnworthie of libertie, whom notwithstanding the Son of God had made sree, and they were free indeede. Yea all the Ioan, 8. 36.verie elements, & the light of Heauen, wherefra by most vnrighteous violence the righteous heires of heauen were excluded, all these (I say) were witnesses of their glorious sufferings VnderUnder pretence of climming to this antiquitie, the Papists would cloacke the turpitude of their new found doctrine: So did the Hagarenes boldly vsurpe the name of Saracenes, yet they were but the brood that spran…s out of the bellie of HAGAR the handmaid of SARAH. And the Priests boy in the daies of ELI came vntounto the Caldron while the flesh of the peace offering 1. Sam, 2. 14.was seithing, and thrust in his flesh-hooke, all that the flesh-hooke brought vp, the Priest tooke for himselfe. This thing was done by violence, but the Priest had not just right to euerie piece of the sacrifice that the flesh-hooke brought vp. The Romaine Church in our dayes hath borrowed the flesh-hooke of the Priestes boy, and violently arrogates vntounto themselues the faithfull keeping of ancient Apostolike traditions. When we demand where is the charter containing their title and right, we see nothing but the flesh-hook with three teeth in their hand. The Church cannot erre. We are the true Church. And, Cursed be he who saith that in matters of faith our general Councils can erre. Madame accept vnderunder your La. fauourable protection these my trauels, in weakenesse not vnlike to the writer, alwayes containing a faithfull testimonie of my humble endeuoure to confirme the branches of your noble housholde in the true faith of Christ. Nowe the great Mediator of the couenant of God stablish all your heartes in the certaintie of his vndoubted trueth vntounto the ende and in the ende.
Amen,
Your La. humble seruant P. SYMSON.