Englands Reformation Needing to be Reformed, Title page – Dedication
PLVS VLTRA▪ OR Englands Reformation▪ Needing to be Reformed.
BEING An Examination of Doctor Heylins History of the Reformation of the Church of ENGLAND.
WHEREIN, By laying together all that is there said by the Dr. about the Reformation of the Church, and by many testimonies of Reverend IEWEL, Bishop of Salisbury; and by several Observations made upon the Whole, it doth evidently appear, That the present state of the Church of ENGLAND is no way to be rested in; but ought to proceed to a farther Degree of Perfection.
Written by way of Letter to Dr. Heylin, by H. N. O. I. Oxon.
Dan. 5. 27. Thou art weighed in the Balances▪ and art found wanting.
Luke 19 22. Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee.
Heb. 6. 1. Let us go on unto perfection.
LONDON, Printed for the Authors, and are to be sold in St. Dunstans Church-yard in Fleetstreet, 1601.
To the Christian Reader.
Courteous Reader,
THou art not, we presume, ignorant that Dr. Heylin hath lately writ a History▪ of the Reformation of the Church of England. His Learned name is of such great credit, that it doth not only invite▪ but bespeak his Readers approbation and acceptance. The love we bear to the Reformation of the Church of England, and an earnest desire to be satisfied about it, led us forth to the view and consideration of that History; wherein we labored to follow our Reason more then our Fancy; and the truth of the Story, more then the cry of Fame; as not being willing to have any mans person in admiration. All that the learned Doctor hath storied about the Reformation in many parts and parcels of his Book, having interwoven it with variety of civil Occurrences both Forraign and Domestick, thou wilt finde here Methodically put together, and shalt have a full view of it at once; which by several skips and leaps thou wilt be put to search for in the Doctors History.
We could heartily wish, the Doctor would have saved us this trouble, and put together the parts of this goodly Building (as he is pleased to call it) that we might at once have gone round about it, and viewed the Towers and strength thereof. This thou shalt finde faithfully done to thy hand, wherein thy patience is intreated to stay and consider the several particulars, lest by overmuch haste, thou lose the fruit of these few lines.
We have here laid before thee the Evidence the Doctor brings for the Reformation, with some Observations out of his own Book, Reverend Jewel, and others of our own upon it, and the judgement is left to thy own breast. We can assure thee, thou art candidly dealt withal in all that we alleadge; either out of the Doctors Book or any other. His Printer hath mis-numbred some Pages, & thou mayst be at some loss (if thou compare some of these quotations with the Doctors Book) through the neglect of Printing; but otherwise thou shalt finde the Page, the words many times as they lie, or at least the substance of the Doctors sense faithfully communicated to thee. We suppose, the Doctor cannot desire a fairer way of Tryal in the particular of the Churches Reformation, then when himself in his Book, and the testimonies he brings, be upon the matter constituted Iudges of it, we hereby conceive, that any person, not byassed by interst, will conclude from the Doctors premises, that Englands Reformation is sadly defective.
There was a time, when there was no Smith found in Israel, and the Israelites went down to the Philistims to sharpen their Weapons. We contend not for Victory, but for Truth; and if in this contest something may be laid hold on, even in the Tents of an Adversary, for the advantage and advancement of it, we shall not scruple to undergo the shame of our own weakness, and the discredit of our own poverty, as being fain to borrow both the shop and tools of an Adversary to vindicate it, and support it. Reader, we leave these few sheets with thee, desiring thy prayers for the Churches through-Reformation, which is their sole desing.