A Trial of Private Devotions, To the reader
TO THE READER.
CHristian Reader, hee that in the winter season puts out to Sea, must expect to be encountered with stormes, and as the times are, with enemies …lso. Alaes, that euer we should liue to see such troubles in Chrystendome. But of them Christ and his Apostles foretold long agoe. Shall Christians then thinke to sleepe quietly and securely in the midst of such a troublesome sea? Yea, that's for the drunken man, who lyeth downe in the midst of the sea, vponupon the top of a Mast, senselesse of the danger; a… the wise man speakes.Prou. 23.34. And yet shall the poore Mariner be counted a mad man, for toyling at the tackling for the safetie of the Ship: While the fresh water souldier counts it wisedome to shrowd himselfe vnderunder hatches, least he see his owne death? Yet this hath beene my lot. I heare, Alas poore Burton, he is crackt. Discontentment, or hope of preferment hauehave imbarkt him in this perilous aduenture. Such be the censures of the wise world. What shall J say? Am J crackt? Wherewith? Not, J am sure, either with too much learning (as Festus charged Paul,) or too much liuing. And if I am mad, J am not the first. Euen the Prophets of old were so accounted. When one of them was sent to annoint Iehu, his followers said, what said this mad fellow to thee? Yea Christ the Prince of Prophets escaped not this doome: He is mad, why heare yee him? Patiently therefore will J beare his reproach. But am I discontented? for what? What need I, when, blessed be my God, I hauehave enough, no lesse then I desire, and much more, then I deserue? Beneest, cui Deus obtulit larca quod satis est manu; could the wise heathen say. Surely a speech worthy of Christendome:
Well is the man whom God (for goods or land)
Giues, what sufficeth, with a sparing hand.
For my selfe, J hauehave Agurs wish: nor pouer…y, nor riches: both dangerous. And hauing enough, what need I for hope of preferment imperill euen that enough which I hauehave? Or will any man perswade me this is the way to preferment? Jt is no beaten path, I am sure. Let others, who will, take this way: surely I neuer went it, nor euer meant it, for that end. And y…t (as all aduentures are led and fed with hope) I cannot say, but hope hath had a speciall hand in all that J hauehave vndertaken. But what hope? Or whereof▪ Hope of worldly preferment; A…as. Nothing more absurd. But a hope to glorifie God, to doe faithfull seruice, and bring some profit to his Church, to my Soueraigne, to my Country. And if this should faile in the successe, hope yet for Gods mercy in the rec…mpense of reward. For this cause I hauehave with Moses chosen rather to suffer affliction with Gods people, then to inioy worldly preferments. If J had consulted with flesh and blood, and followed their councell, I might hauehave been as worldly wise perhaps as others, and spared my labour, and spent my dayes in a more safe silence, or silent safetie. It was not any blind foolhardinesse that pusht me on; J did first cast vp the reckoning, before J began to build. And howsoeuer the building may be impe▪ c…ed by Sanballets, sure J am, they cannot raze the Foundation, being such as the Gates of hell shall not preuaile against. And howsoeuer the Spider may extract poison out of the wholsomest flower (which is not from the nature of the flower, but of the Spider, whose poysonous bowels turne the best nutriment into poyson) howsoeuer malice may misdeeme my sinceerest meaning expressed in clearest and most n…ked words: yet (as J vttered with a cleere voice in the car… of the Lord Bishop of London, at my first examination about Israels Fast) I hauehave done nothing, but with a true intent and desire for Gods glory, the good of my King and Country, and the Church of England, whereof we are members; and for which I am ready (if need were) to lay down my life. So little doe I esteeme the Serpents hissing, or the dogs barking.
Not to stay thee too long in the threshold, here take a full view of my answere to a Popish booke bearing in the Front, A collection of priuate Deuotions, or, The houres of Prayer. If I hauehave not fully vnfolded the mystery of iniquity wrapped therein, let thy charity pardon my imperfections, and thy sharper judgement supply my defects. OnelyOnly, J confesse J hauehave purposely omitted many things for breuity sake, wherein the Author rather expresseth his popish, if not apish affection, in symbolizing with Iesuiticall catechismes, Officium B. Mariae, &c. then giueth occasion of solid confutation, as being partly ridiculous, though mostly superstitious, and some erroneous: for example, The lawes of nature: the Precepts of the Church: the three theologicall vertues: three kinds of good workes: seuen gifts of the Holy Ghost: the twelue fruits of the Holy Ghost: the spirituall workes of mercy: the corporall workes of mercy: the eight beatitudes: seuen deadly sinnes: the contrary vertues: Quatuor nouissima, &c. To which he might hauehave added, The fiue senses, &c. The foure Cardinall vertues: as they are set downe in Officium B. Mariae, whence he hath the rest, and in, Las horas del nuestra senora, The houres of our Lady. As also the 15. mysteries of the office of our Lord Iesus Christ, for to meditate and say the Rosary of our Lady, whereof, fiue joyfull; fiue sorrowfull; & fiue glorious: which with the rest are numbred vp by Ledesm… the Iesuite, in his Catechisme of Iesus Maria. But he would first try how these would relish. Yet his seuen deadly sinnes at least deserued to come v…der the ferula, or censure. Wherein wee might hauehave shewed the absurdity of Popish distinctions of sinnes mortall and veniall, yea how it verifies and cryes downe the inestimable price of Christs death, and extenuates or annihilates the rigor of Gods law, and eleuates or sleights the nature of sinne: the least, deseruing eternall death. Againe, we might hauehave shewed, how by Christ al sins are veni-that pardonable: but without Christ, mortal, and vnpardois, nable, seeme they neuer so small. Thirdly, we might hauehave shewed the absurdity of his number of those seuen deadly sins of the: of which ye shall not find the breaches of many of the Commandements of the second table ranked, nor of any of the first Table: as if Athiesme, infidelity, idolatry, blasphemy, periury, profanation of the Sabboth, and the rest, were not deadly sins, but to be reckoned (if the Author account them any sins at all) onelyonly among his venials. But J hope some other will supply, what I hauehave omitted. Jn the meane time take this in good part, and so Farewell.
Thine in Christ HEN: BVRTON.