The Little Book, Dedication 1
To the right … ble, and …is … staye… Lord, Fraun…, Lord gouernour of Barwicke, and one of the Quéenes Maiesties most Honorable priuie Counsell, &c. Arthur Goldyng wisheth encrease of Honour, and haboundaunce of the knowledge & grace of Christe, …ith perfect continuaūce therein, … ende.
IT is agreed on & confessed by all men (righte Honorable) that reason & vnderstandynge, maketh differrēce betwen… mankinde and other liuynge Creatures, but how a true Christian maye be knowē and discerned from an infidell and counterfet, none perceiueth, saue onelyonly suche as geue diligent héede to the written woopage missing, wherin we may finde that page missing page missinguerlastyng to know one God and page missing he hath sent, that they are blessed whiche heare the woorde of God and kéepe it, that not eueryevery one that saith Lorde Lorde shall enter into the kingdome of Heauē, but he that doth the will of the heauenly Father. Whereby it is euident, that wicked Infidelles are either altogether voide of the page missing ledge of God, or els farre from page missing walke accordingly, if they hauehave page missing to any vnderstandyng thereopage missing page missing the true Christian, not onelyonly laboreth page missing beholde the grace of God, which bringeth saluation to all men, but also learneth to renounce impietie and worldly lustes▪ and to liue soberly, iustly, and godly, in this present worlde, and lookinge for that blessed hope, and appearinge of the glory of the great God and our Sauiour Iesus Christe, walketh all the dayes of his life, in holines and rightuousnes, not after mens deuise & phantasie, but accordinge to the rules and ordinaunces, which God hath prescribed. And yet beside ye sleights of Sathan, the fraylenes of the flesh, and the wickednesse of the worlde, we maye easily sée how the mallice of men stayeth and hindereth the children of God from procéedinge in that they hauehave professed, while some are driuen to stagger at the prosperitie of wicked: when they sée them neyther troubled nor plagued as other men are: eyther to feare their powre whē they sée the Kinges of the Earth bande themselues, and the Princes confederate …ther against the Lorde, and his annointed, and eueryevery good man with griefe of harte, enforced to complaine with Dauid: how longe wil ye imagine mischiefe, ye shalbe all slaine, ye shalbe as a bowed wall, or as a wall shaken. They consuite to cast him downe from his dignitie, their delighte is in lies, they blesse with theyr mouthes, and curse with their hartes. It is not vnknowen what hath bene concluded in the Councell of Trent, what confederacie and conspiracie, the Romayne Antichrist hath made, with other great Princes, against the doctrine of God, and such as professe it. What force & tirannie hath bene vsed to suppresse the children of God: what pollicies, and practises bothe at home, and abroade, hauehave bene, and are dayly put in executiō, to hinder the course of the Gospell: what lies and slaunders are dayly raysed, what quarels are inuē ted, what falsehoode and dissimulation is in eueryevery place practised, to kéepe the most parte of men frō the knowledge of truth, whereby as we sée the woordes of Dauid verified in the wicked dealyng of this miserable age, so hauehave we iust cause to complaine with him, and not onelyonly to proclayme with confidence the like ende to mischieuous men, but also to arme our selues against al assaultes that are made, to driue or drawe vsus from the truth professed. Yea it behoueth vsus herein to care for other, not for our selues onelyonly, least by vsus any be discouraged, where they ought to be comforted, or hindred, where they ought to be furdered. For the vengeaunce is fearefull whiche our Sauiour pronounceth, where he saith: woo to him by whome Offence cōmeth, & the charge is not smal which he giueth to his, where he willeth: that their light so shine before mē, that their good woorkes may be séene to the glory of their Father whiche is in Heauen, whereof it followeth that God would not hauehave vsus by any meanes to discourage, but rather to encourage, neither to disswade, but rather by all meanes to perswade, and allure all sortes of men as much as in vsus lieth, to the louelove and likyng of Gods eternall truth. This point of duetie God requireth by his Prophete Esay, aswell of Princes as of Pastors, when in the kingdome of Christe he biddeth them goe through, goe through the gates prepare you the way for the people, cast, vp cast vp, the waye & gather out the stones, set vp a standarte for the people. So God woulde hauehave all impedimentes remoued, so he would that men should be prouoked to the kingedome of Christe. Whereunto this treatise written by that excellent instrumēt of God, maister Iohn Caluine, very much auayleth, for in it he purposely entreateth, of such Offences & stumblinge blockes, as at this daye make many men either to feare, or to abhorre the doctrine of the Gospell, it serueth wel for this our countrie in this light of truth offered, to conuince the obstinate, to confirme the wéeke, to stay the waueryng, to instruct the ignoraunt, and to occasion all men with reuerence to receiue the glad tidinges of the Gospell, and that without delay, least for our vnthankefulnesse the publique profession thereof beynge taken awaye, it be to late for vsus to séeke oyle, when we should be readie to enter with the Bridegrome. Wherefore I could not deuise how my endeuour might better be employed, then in the translation of suche a treatice, as remouyng al lettes, maketh streight vntounto vsus the waye of Saluation. And because your Lordshippes good gouernment, & conuersation in these North partes of Englande, hath furdered not a fewe, to the light of true Religion, I thought it most conuenient to be dedicated and presented vntounto your Honour, as vntounto one whom to this day, neither prosperitie, nor aduersitie, coulde make ashamed of Christe crufisied: not for that I thinke the matter cōteyned in this Booke néedeth the defence of any man, for it rather defendeth then craueth defence: but because I truste that other shall be more willinge to receiue it, and vse it to their comforte & cōmoditie, when they sée it after a sorte conueyed and commended vntounto them, as it were from your Lordeships handes. And although my trauaile herein may séeme very smal, yet my hope is that your Honour of your accustomed goodnesse will accept it, as the testimonie of a duetifull minde, as God hath geuen you a singuler desire to aduaunce his glorie, and benefite his Churche, so I truste ye shall hauehave no small occasion hereby, to continewe & procéede therein. Notwithstandynge the manifolde impedimentes of these perilous times, when Sathan by all meanes séeketh in stayinge the sincere preachinge of Gods most holy woorde, to scatter the people into sectes & Scismes▪ and by raysinge of dissention in opinions to slaunder and defame the doctrine of truth, against whose subtiltie it behoueth all such as God hath aduaunced to authoritie, to labour especially yt the publique preachynge of Gods eternall truthe, be furdered & mainteyned amonge the people: for the holy Ghoste teacheth, that where preachinge fayleth the people goe to hauocke, and experience sheweth that one of these twoo mischieues ensueth whē preachynge is stayed (to wete) either no Religion at all, wherof procéedeth Atheisme and Epicuresme, or els eueryevery man to hauehave a Religion by him selfe, which is the very Originall cause of all Heresie and Scisme in the Church of Christ. It is the Deuilles policie to hauehave preachinge set apart, to the ende, that he may hauehave a time to scatter his darnell & cockle in ye Lordes fielde, wherein if he be not spéedely preuented, it is to be feared, that the Deuill which hath bene cast out, will returne againe to his old possession, and findinge it vacante & readie trimmed for him, settle him selfe, and seuen other Deuilles with him worse then he is, & so it fall out with vsus, as with the froward generatiō, whose ende was worse then the beginnynge. Which extréeme miserie the Lord vouchsafe to preuent with his merciemercy, that we & our posteritie may cōtinewe in ye light of his truth, & that the same may continewe with vsus to the ende. At Barwicke the firste of October. Anno 1566.
Your good Lordshippes, most humble to commaunde, Arthur Goldinge.