The State of the Church of England, Title page – Preface
The state of the Church of Englande, laide open in a conference betweene Diotrephes a Bishop, Tertullus a Papist, Demetrius an vsurer, Pandocheus an In-keeper, and Paule a Preacher of the word of God.
PSAL. 122. 6.
Pray for the peace of Hierusalem, let them prosper that louelove the Lord.
REVEL. 14. 9. 10.
And the third Angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image, and receiue his marke in his forehead, or on his hande, the same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God.
THE PRAEFACE.
JEntle Reader, I hauehave sette down heere in a dialogue, the practize of Sathan which hee vseth (as I hauehave obserued by experience) to subuert and vtterly ouerturne the course of the gospel here in England: the names of the speakers containe in them for the moste parte, the matter that they defend, and the affection that they are of. For thou knowest that Diotrephes was hee of whom S. Iohn speaketh in his third Epi. v. 9. that louing to hauehave the preheminence, disturbed the course of good things in the Church, and therefore sustaineth the person of a Bishop, or byshoplie prelate. Tertullus is he of whom Luke speaketh in the 24. Acts, that was the speaker in the ambassage from Hierusalem to Foelix the gouernor, against Paule, in the defence of ceremonies, abrogated from the ouerthrowe of the Gospell, and so representeth the Papists, that maintaine their trash, to the rooting out of true religion. Demetrius is he of whom mention is made in Actes 19. that was enemie to Paule, because he liued by an vnlawfull trade, and for that cause doth play the part of an vsurer. Paule was the defender you knowe of the Gospell in sinccritie, & he whose pen the holy Ghost did vse to expresse the discipline of the church most clerely, and therefore speaketh for the ministers of our time that stand for reformation. Pandocheus is an In-keeper in Greeke, and it is as much as to say, a receiuer of all, and a soother of euerie man for his gaine; so that the persons in their nature thus considered, it remaineth that thou wouldest be intreated by me, whosoeuer thou art, to whō this little booke shall come, that thou wouldest in reading of it, set all affectiō aside, & neither beleeue it, because one of thy disposition did pen it neither yet rei…ct it. because it was not composed by one of thy complexion; but considd…r well of the speeches vttered by euerie partie, & compare them with the practize of the worlde, and then looke what it is that so hardeneth Pandocheus in Atheisine, Demetrin in vsurie, & Tertullus in Papistrie; and you shall (I doubt not) plainely perceiue, that the cause of all vngodlines so to raigne in eueryevery place, and of the Papists so to increase in strength and number, ariseth from our Byshops and their vnlawfull gouernement; on the other side, looke into the answers that Diotrephes maketh to Paul, and the councell that Tertullus giueth to Diotrephes, and compare them with the practize of the B. in all pointes, and you shall euidentlye perceiue that the cause why the gospel being so long preached, & hath taken so little effect, ariseth from them onelyonly, forsomuch as they hauehave weakened the knees of the true Preachers, and euerie way crossed them in all good actions. I hauehave touched thinges verie briefly of purpose, partly for that they who see what reformation meaneth, will quickly vnderstand my meaning, and partly, for that I would hauehave him that vnderstandeth not mine intent and would be resolued, to confer at large of it wyth some godly learned for his further instruction. Now I pray thee, let mee intreat thee to think thus of mine intent; namely, that it is not of purpose to disgrace any man, albeit we ought to disgrace them, by whom God his sonne is disgraced: but especially to this end, that eueryevery man in his calling, might see howe hee is or hath beene made an instrument to do harme, or for want eyther of knowledge, or prouident forecast, being ouertaken vnderunder colour of right and law, & lastly that we al seeing the subtilties of the deuill againste the kingdom of Christ Iesus, may first of al returne to God by speedie repentance, from the wickednesse that we hauehave in our hands, which in deede is the cause of this cursse vponupon vsus; and then praie vntounto his Maiestie, that he would detect the craftie subtilties of all his aduersaries, reueale the trueth to those that are seduced and abused, and erect the kingdome of his Sonne Christ Iesus amongst vsus, by the forme of that discipline that his owne worde expresseth vntounto vsus.