Answer to Reynolds Book, Title page – Dedication
AN anſwere to a certeine Booke, written by Maiſter William Rainolds Student of Diuinitie in the Engliſh Colledge at Rhemes, and entituled, A Refutation of ſundrie reprehenſions, Cauils, &c.
By William Whitaker, profeſſor of Diuinitie in the Vniuerſitie of Cambridge.
Printed at London for Thomas Chard. 1585.
To the right honorable Syr VVilliam Cecill, Knight of the Garter, Baron of Burghley, Lord high Treaſurer of England, and Chancelor of the Vniuerſitie of Cambridge, Grace and peace.
IT is not vnknowen to your Honor, how the aduerſaries hauehave neuer ceaſed ſince the beginning of hir Maieſties moſte happie reigne vntil this day, by their bookes in great numbers written and publiſhed, and by al other means, that poſsiblie they might deuiſe, to trouble the ſtate of the Church, and to diffame that holy religion of Chriſt, which through Gods great merciemercy, and godlie lawes of our gratious Souereign, is according to his holy word eſtabliſhed amongſt vsus. VVhat they hauehave wrought with manie of al eſtates, and how mightelie they hauehave preuailed with that ſtrong & effectual illuſion of Satan, which hath aduaunced Antichriſt vntounto that ſupremacie of power, authoritie, and credit in the world, wherof the holy ghoſt by SS. Paul & Iohn hath foretold, lamentable experience can witnes in the backſliding, and continuall falling of manie away from vsus, to their own final perdition, to the grief of the godlie, & to the great encouragement and comfort of the enemie. And among other examples of this Apoſtaſie, I offer to your Honor one verie notable, euen the man with whom I hauehave in this booke to deale, who hauing bene late not onlie a common profeſſor of our religion, but a publick miniſter and preacher of the ſame in our Church, hath not onlie reuolted from vsus, through ſome worldly tentations, and run ouer into our enemies cāp, but hath alſo lifted vp his heel againſt vsus, and in open writing moſt malitiouſly and bitterly railed at vsus. Occaſion of vttering his conceiued malice againſt vsus, in his late writing he taketh by a certein Preface of mine before the anſwer to D. Saunders demonſtrations of Antichrist, which being not verie long, and handling no great variety of matter, I neuer thoght could hauehave prouoked the Aduerſarie ſo much, or procured ſo long and large a Confutation. I looked rather that the ſubſtance of my book concerning Antichriſt, ſhould hauehave bin anſwered by ſome that would maintein Saūders arguments, wherby he laboreth to prooue that the Pope cannot be Antichriſt; which being in deed a weighty and moſte materiall controuerſie, required the learning and diligence of the moſte ſufficient ſcholler amongſt them. Neither coulde I otherwiſe ſuspect, but ſeeing I had written in latin againſt a latin Aduerſarie, he whoſoeuer ſhould take in hand to ſet forth anie thing againſt me, would hauehave done it in the latin tongue. But M. Rainolds, who was appointed (as he ſaith) to aunſwere my booke of Antichriſt, and in all his actions profeſſeth himſelf to be ordered by thoſe, to whoſe gouernment he hath ſubmitted himſelfe, pretending in ſhew to publiſh a confutation thereof, hath written onelyonly againſt the preface, wherin are handled other matters, & ſo hath anſwered nothing to the principall queſtion, wherof the book, that he would ſeeme to hauehave confuted, ſpeciallie entreateth: & further hath written not in latin as I did, but in engliſh, as liked beſt his gouernors & himſelf. VVherupon I was at the firſt partlie perſuaded to paſſe ouer this Refutation of his with ſilence: & the rather, becauſe I liſted not to reaſon or deale againſt ſuch a one as he is, of whom for manie reſpects I could not conceiue anie hope at al, that euer my labors ſhould doe him good, hauing thus embraced pernitious & deceitful error, & wilfullie caſt awaie from him the louelove of the truth, which once he had in ſhew receiued, which he pretended to beleeue, and which he did in deed profes. Which kind of men through Gods iuſtice for the moſt part are giuen ouer into ſuch reprobate hardnes of hart, that they can neuer after be reclaimed, but continue alwaies deſperate to their euerlaſting deſtruction. Notwithſtanding, when I peruſed better the contents of his booke, and tooke aduiſe of the godlie, what were beſt for me to do herein, whether I ſhould make anſwer to this man, or rather obeying king Ezechias commandement, let him alone, and ſay nothing to him, I was in the end reſolued to ſet forth a plain and ſufficient anſwer to his whole volume, not for his ſake, of whom I hauehave no hope, nor reſpect, but in regard of others, who thereby maie either be confirmed in the truth, or preſerued from error.
I ſee the Aduerſaries drift eſpeciallie was, to breed in the minds of our countrimen a miſliking of this our religion, which himſelf hauing once liked wel, was after (I know not how) moued to miſlike. The which he endeuoreth to performe by ſome other means, then heertofore hauehave commonlie bene vſed, as anie man reading his book may ſoon obſerue, wherin he ſhal finde continual allegations of teſtimonies out of our owne writers, craftely brought in, to ſhew a diſſenſion of iudgements amongſt our ſelues, that ſo his readers may be induced to thinke the worſe of our doctrine, and of vsus al. A deuiſe ful of fraud, diſhoneſtie & malice, to take aduantage of mens infirmities & imperfections againſt the eternal truth of God, which he cānot by ordinarie & lawful kind of reaſoning refute. Betweene Luther and Zuinglius about the Sacrament, was a ſharp contention, hotlie debated in manie books, & the ſame hath cōtinued ſince to the great hindrance of the goſpell and offence of many. In which contrary writings and diſcourſes, are found oftentimes harder ſpeeches of either againſt other, then were to be wiſhed, yet ſuch as the godlie ſeruants of the Lord in contention about the truth, ſomtimes ar moued to vtter againſt their brethren. S. Paul openlie and ſharply reprehended S. Peter to his face, whereat wicked Porphyrie catched a like occaſion to raile at Chriſtiā religion long ſince, as our aduerſaries do at theſe daies. VVhat a violent and troubleſome contention was there betweene Theophilus of Alexandria, and good Chryſoſtome of Conſtantinople? VVho knoweth not how ſharplie Cyrillus a learned and wiſe Biſhop of Alexandria hath written againſt Theodoritus a godlie and catholick Biſhop, in a controuerſie touching the catholick faith? Both Biſhops, both catholickes, both learned, both godly, both excellent pillers of the Church: and yet he that readeth both their writinges, would thinke that both were daungerous enemies of the Church and faith of Chriſt, and of all Chriſtians to be auoyded. So in the bookes of Luther and Zuinglius, and thoſe that maintaine either part, appeereth (I graunt) great ſharpneſse and bitterneſſe of diſſenſion: who all notwithſtanding, if ye ſet the heat of diſputation aſide, were as godlie, as learned, as zealous Chriſtians, as the worlde had anie. Nowe commeth in M. Rainoldes like a craftie enemie, and gathering a heape of ſuch ſpeeches, out of ſundry their bookes, hath in diuers places of his confutation inſerted the ſame, as anie occaſion woulde ſerue, to make his readers acquainted therewith, that ſeeing ſuch earneſt contention among the chiefeſt profeſsors of the Goſpell, they may be further withdrawn in alienation of minde from the louelove and liking thereof. VVherein alſo to helpe his purpoſe, he hath vſed two kindes eſpecially of vnlawfull ſleightes. One is, to report among others the teſtimonies alſo of open Aduerſaries to the doctrine of the Goſpel, as namely of Gabriel Fabritius againſt Beza, and of Caſtalion, and ſuch others, as eyther being profeſſed papiſtes, or doubtful proteſtantes, ought not in this caſe to be regarded. Another is, to falſifie the iudgementes and ſentences of our writers, and ſo to make moſte vntrue reports of them. As for example, in his 12. cha. pa. 356. he affirmeth, that we begin ſecretlie to diſprooue the Churches faith, touching the manner of Chriſts crucifying, namely, that his handes and feet were pearſed with nailes, and for proofe hereof alledgeth teſtimonies out of Marlorate, Muſculus and Bucer, in whom no ſuch thing is in anie place to be found. And that eueryevery man maie perceiue what pleaſure he hath, & what libertie he taketh to himſelf of ſpeaking and reporting any thing vntruly, he accuſeth Caſtalion to hauehave made a diſcourſe in the Preface written to K. Edward the ſixt, before his tranſlation of the Bible, in proofe that Chriſt is not the true Meſsias; which verilie is a foule ſlander, as any man maie iudge that readeth the ſame: ſo be chargeth vsus with the abhominable hereſies of the Trinitarians, Libertines, Anabaptiſts, Antinomi, Dauid George, and ſuch like, whom we deteſt as much as they, againſt whom both wee hauehave written more then they, and our Magiſtrates, both eccleſiaſticall and ciuil, hauehave alſo ſeriouſlie proceded. VVith ſuch allegations of al ſorts, out of al writers, for al purpoſes, hath he fraughted and ſtuffed his book: other ſubſtance and waight of matter is there none therin, ſo that of it ſelf it might be thought moſte vnworthie of anſwer. Yet becauſe ſuch bookes doe harm abroad, and it is expedient to hauehave the aduerſaries folly and weaknes detected, I hauehave vndertaken this labour of anſwering M. Rainolds, and that in engliſh, for the ſame conſideration that cauſed him to leaue the latin, and write in the engliſh tongue: which I thinke he hath not done, ſo much for want of skil therin, as that his writings might commonlie be read and vnderſtoode of engliſhmen. This my labour I offer to your Honors good acceptation, humblie beſeeching you, that I may publiſh it vnderunder the ſafegard of your honourable protection. And as you hauehave bene alwayes a zealous louer of Chriſtes Goſpell, and by your godly wiſdome hauehave done your endeuour to aduaunce greatly the Lordes cauſe from time to time, and to hinder the practiſes of the enemy, ſo I beſeech the Lord to encreaſe in you all thoſe Chriſtian vertues, to the benefit of Chriſtes Church, and the common wealth of this Realm. Thus I commend your Lordſhip to Gods moſte mercifull and gratious preſeruation, beſeeching him to prolong your dayes vponupon earth, with multiplication of all graces neceſſarie for this life, and for the life to come.
Your Lordſhips to commaund, William Whitaker.