Discovery of a False Detection, Dedication
TO THE MOST HONOVRABLE AND RIGHT NOBLE LORD, the Lord Dukes Grace of Lenox: A. W. wisheth encrease of grace and vertue in this life, and euerlasting saluation in the next.
THe holie Euangelist S. Luke writing his Gospell to noble Theophilus, saluteth him by the name of foreign, that is, most worthie or excellent: and the same Euangelist, doubteth not to call the brethren of Beroea, foreign, more noble Act. 17. 11.and honourable, because they receiued the word with all cheerefulnes. Whereby the Scripture teacheth, that vertue and pietie doe bring foorth true nobilitie: diuine grace being added to a noble race doth make it more honourable: and true Religion graft into a Princelie generation, is more admirable. For whereas to bee highly descended of an ancient house, is but an humane priuiledge: as hee well saith, Noble birth is excellent, but yet a gift from foreign.the parents. True pietie doth make vsus (as the Apostle saith) that we be foreign, partakers of the diuine nature, 2. Pet. 1.Plutar. de liber. educan. vers. 4.
This your Grace, I know, and am well assured is not ignorant of, nor vnexpert in: and as your owne nation doth hold you a right Christian Peere, and both a zealous professor, and a constant protector of the Gospell; so wee trust, that this Church and Countrie, to the which you are happily arriued, shall finde you. One said of Plato: Non accepit Seneca.Platonem nobilem Philosophia, sed fecit: Philosophie receiued not Plato noble, but rendred him: he was not noble when he entred, but noble after he had profited in the studie of Philosophie. But your Honour both the Church receiued noble by natural propagation, at your first entrance; and by continuance shal make you more noble by the fruites of your spirituall regeneration. Iphicrates, when one Harmodius descended of the auncient and noble Harmodius, obiected to him the basenes of his birth, thus prudently answered:foreign. My nobilitie beginneth in me, and yours endeth in you. But, your Honour (noble Duke) as it began not with you, being deriued from your honorable parents; so, I trust it shall not die or end in you, being continued by vertue.
Now then, seeing God hath exalted you to the honour of this life, aduanced you to the fauour of your Prince, hath giuen you both the priuiledge of nature in your noble condition, and the praeeminence of grace in your Christian profession; it must be your care to honour God, who hath so highly honoured you: to be a faithfull Steward (according to your honourable name) of your greatnes, that Religion by you may flourish and waxe great, of your fauour with your Prince, to countenance the truth, and promote good causes. We hartely pray, that you may be to his Maiestie, as an Hur to hold vp Moses Exod. 17.hands, which we trust notwithstanding shall remaine steadie without any prop, and as a faithfull Eliakim to be as a sure naile, vponupon the which wee may safelyIsai. 22. 24. hang (next vnderunder our Hezekiah) the vessels of the Church, the affaires of Religion. God make you as a Ionathan to Dauid, a friend to the faithfull, as an Ahikam Iere. 26. 24.to Ieremie, a Patrone of the Prophets, as a Gamaliel to the Apostles, aAct. 5. mediatour and aduocate for the innocent.
Concerning my enterprise at this time: as I hauehave alreadie presented to his Christian Maiestie, a generall treatise of all controuersies of Religion betweene vsus and the Papists, as a pledge of my seruice and dutie, and testimonie of my ioy: so vntounto your Grace as a principall helper vnderunder him, and a pillar and Peere of the kingdome, I hauehave beene bold to offer this small book (a defence of my former writings against the cauillous aduersarie) as a token of my louelove, and signification of that hope, which we all conceiue of you.
I will presume no further at this time to be troublesome: I hartelie wish vntounto you the Prophets Agurs moderation, that you be neither too much lifted vpPro. 30. 8. with prosperitie, nor pressed downe with aduersitie: like vntounto Phocion, thatforeign. noble Athenian, that was neuer seene either to laugh, or weepe: not to reioyce too much in worldly preferments, nor to grieue too much at crossing discontentments: yea I say with S. Paul to Agrippa, God make you like that worthie Apostle, foreign, not onelyonly almost, Act. 26. 29.but altogether, in the knowledge of Gods word, in faith and zeale: That as Zacharie prophecieth, Holinesse shall Zach. 14. 20be written vponupon the horse bridles: that your triumphes, your warfare, your martiall feates, may be consecrate vntounto God and sauour of religion: that it may be said of you as Ambrose writeth of a religious Earle: Quantum imperatori Ambros. serm. 89.in bello militat, tantum & in pace militat saluatori: He warreth in battell for the Emperour, in peace for our Sauiour. And as hee againe saith: Sub tectum tuum iam sa…uator ingrediatur, &c. Let Christ now enter vnderunder your roofe, into your house, your familie, your heart, that you may enter vnderunder Christs roofe and kingdome in heauen: to whom be praise for euer.
Your Graces readie to be commaunded in the Lord, ANDREVV WILLET.
THE FIRST PART OF SVRMISED VNTRVTHS.
THe Libeller hath thought good, to sorte out his vncharitable slaunders into foure rankes, of vntruths, contradictions, falsifications, corruptions of Scripture, and of eueryevery kinde, he hath produced thirteene places. Thus this blinde harper, or malicious carper, hath set vsus forth an harsh song of foure parts, and eueryevery part to be played vponupon thirteene strings: but his false descant shall soone appeare, and his lying dittie bee displayed. Emerepes one of the Lacedemonian Ephori, of nine strings of the Musitian Phrynides instrument, did cut off two, thus saying vntounto him: Noli maleficium musicae inferre: That heforeign. should not corrupt or marre good musicke: but we will cut asunder all this vnskilfull harpers strings, that he offer no longer disgrace, Non Musicae, sed Theologiae, not to harmonie, but to Theologie.
This false Detector, after long studie and great deliberation, hath culled out of the two bookes of SYNOPSIS and TETRASTYLON, thirteene places of each sort, in all two and fiftie: I maruell, that his Lynx eyes could spic out no more faultes, that in thirteene hundred pages, hee hath noted but thirteene supposed contradictions, & of thirteene hundred allegations almost of Fathers, could finde but thirteene pretended falsifications, and of thirteene thousand places of Scripture well nie, doth but challenge, and that fal…ely, thirteene to be corrupted.
This sharpe Censurer, seemeth to hauehave bin diuers yeeres in hatching of this Cockcatrice egge, that is now burst forth into a serpent: for he confesseth that he began to note his places, before he had view of the last booke, p. 124. he meaneth the last edition of SYNOPSIS, which was Anno 1600. The other edition which he followeth, came forth Anno 1596. so that he may well be thought to hauehave spent foure or fiue yeeres in this profitable studie, or so long it may be esteemed, since first he had such purpose: it he had giuen his mind all this while as carefully to hauehave sought out the …ruth, as hee hath bent and opposed himselfe against the truth, his eyes might hauehave been open…d to see, and his iudgement reformed to confesse the truth. But it falleth out to him, as Augustine saith:De natur. & grat. lib. 1. c. 25. Procliuiores s…m…s quaerere potius, quid contra ea respondeamus, qua nostro obijciuntur errori, quam intendere, quam sunt salubria, vt careamus errore: We are more ready to seeke what to answere to that which is obiected against our error, then to marke how wholesome it is, that we may be without error. But notwithstanding his great endeuours, malitious cauils, proude bragges, the truth will not be outfaced, nor the righteous cause suppressed: as the Psalmist saith, The Lord shall bring forth thy righteousnesse as the light, and thy iudgement as the Noone day, Psalm. 37. 6. Of these 52. pretended forgeries, he shall not be able to iustifie one by true and sincere dealing: that it may be said vntounto him, as Augustine in the like case: Ostendere hoc non potes, Cont. Petilian. libr. 2. cap. 98.non quia ingenium deest, sed quia bona causa: You are not able to shew (that you take in hand) not because you want wit, but a good cause. The libeller hath craftie wit enough to shew malice, but he wanteth truth to iustifie his bad cause. Now to the matter.