Questions of Religion, Title page – Dedicatory letter
¶ Questions of Religion cast abroad in HELVETIA by the Aduersaries of the same: and aunswered by M. H. Bullinger of ZVRICK: reduced into. 17. Common places.
Translated into Englishe by Iohn Coxe. 1572.
¶ Imprinted at London, by Henrie Bynneman, for George Byshop.
To the right Reuerend father in God, and my very good Lorde, William by Gods prouidēce Bishop of Excester, Iohn Cox Wisheth all grace, and peace of conscience from God our heauenly father, through Chryste Iesus our Lord, nowe and for euer.
WHEN I HAD finished the translation of thys Booke, (right Reuerende father) and being persvvaded by some of my godly freends, to publishe the same in Printe, for that it vvas a Booke not onelyonly conteyning the vvhole summe of our Christian Religion, but also ansvveres to all the obiections vvhichwhich our aduersaries the Papistes may or can obiecte agaynst vsus, bearing any similitude or likelyhode of truthe: and agayne also considering vvith my selfe, that in these our dayes, beeing the laste, and therefore the moste perillous and daungerous dayes, for so our sauiour Christ him selfe teacheth vsus, vvherin vve hauehave great neede to be furnished against the assaultes of the enimies of true Religion: and vvaying vvith my selfe the godly minde of the author, D. Henry Bullinger, vvho vvrote the same in hys ovvne naturall tongue, for the profite of his Countreymen, as more largely appeareth in his ovvne preface, vvhere he declareth vvhy he tooke this matter in hande, a man of moste singular learning and vertuous liuing, for vvhom all christendome is bound to magnifie the maiestie of god, declaring his louelove tovvards vsus, in sending such an excellent member to his Church, vvho paynfully traueled, not only in Lectures and Sermons, euen in his olde and feble age, but also vvrote many Bookes, so that it can not vvell be discerned, in vvhichwhich of these tvvo exercises he did most excede in labor: thought I could do God no better seruice, and no greater pleasure to my Countreymen, than to make them partakers of suche a precious perle as this. For that it is a sure shield and strong furnished fortresse agaynst the carping tongs and clapping clacks of Mo… his race. For such is the gret frovvardnesse & obstinacie of some men, that althoughe God of his mercy and clemencie hath repressed and beatē dovvne the frosen, frostie, and darke mountayns of Popish Cimmeria, vvherby the clearenesse of his Gospell vvas kepte from vsus, and hath caused the most comfortable bright beames of his Gospell to shyne foorthe ouer vsus, yet they most vvickedly blyndfield them selues vvyth the thicke and foggie mystes of mans imaginations, and so rebelling agaynst God their Creator, chose rather stubbornely to abyde in their olde horrible darkenesse, than vvillingly to embrace the comfortable lyghte of so mercyfull a God. VVherefore I mused vvith my selfe, to vvhome cheefly I might dedicate this treatise: & amongst many graue and vvise personages, I foūd none so meete as your fatherhoode, and that for tvvo causes: The one for that it hath pleased god of his mercy to take duplicate page duplicate page avvay hence vntounto him selfe, that moste precious levvel and excellent ornament of his Church, D. Jewell late Byshop of Sarisburie: for vvhose death vvhat sighes and teares are amongest the godly I ceasse to declare, partly for that I vvyll not augmente and renue your Fatherhoods conceiued sorrovves, vvhichwhich you hauehave planted vvithin your breste, (such vvas the great amitie, louelove, and faythfull frendship betvveene you,) and for that partly the aboundaunce of mine ovvne teares forceth the same, (such are the vehement affections of mans nature:) to vvhome this Booke vvas dedicated by one Iosias Simlerus, one of the chefe Ministers in the Church of Zuricke, vvho turned the same out of Dutche into Latin, vvherin the author vvrote it, as I sayd before: that as the Booke vvas a defence and fortresse to many, so he lykevvyse mighte be a sheelde and defence vntounto the same, agaynst the brauling tongues of the barking enimyes the Papistes, vvho are euer ready to spit foorthe the pestiferous humors of their malitious and vngodly stomacks, as their tyrannous practises from tyme to tyme, hauehave and doo moste manyfestly declare. VVherfore righte reuerende father, and my singular good Lorde, sithe it hathe pleased God (as I sayde before) to take avvay from vsus such an ornament and Ievvel, for some good cause vntounto him knovven, I offer this his defence into your hands, beeing no lesse vvorthy to take so good a matter in hande. The other is your good Lordshyps accustomable fauour and good vvill, continually bestovved on the cheefe of my freends, vvhichwhich forceth me to dedicate this vntounto you: therby to signifie, that althoughe there vvanteth povver and habilitie, bothe in them and me to requite any parte thereof, yet suche is our bounden dueties tovvards your Lordshippe, that neither blinde obliuion, nor tyme vvith his crooked sithe, shall be able to cut that reuerende affection and louelove, from our brestes vvhichwhich vvee hauehave duetifully conceiued tovvards you. VVherefore I moste humbly beseeche you, to accepte this my trauell in good parte, and as the onelyonly token of him, vvho prayeth dayly vntounto the almightie God, that he may encrese you vvith honor, and so gouerne you vvith his holy spirite, that as you hauehave begun, so you may continue a most vigilant and paynfull pastor in Chrystes Churche, to the comforte and encrease thereof, the quiet and discharge of your ovvn conscience, the defacing and ouerthrovving of the aduersaries of the same, and the incoraging and prouoking of your godly Ministers and Preachers to folovv your steppes, in paynfulnesse, diligence, louelove, humilitie, and other moste excellēt vertues, for the vvhichwhich, amongst all the godly you are moste vvorthely commended, and that so finishing your lyfe, vvith a long and an honorable age, you may vvith Chryst Iesus our head and onelyonly cheefe pastor, possesse the crovvne of eternall glory, for euer and euer.
Amen.
Your Lorpships moste humble at commaundement, IOHN COXE.