NO Nation euer vnder heauen , English men grealy bound to praise and serue God , for his rich blessings in & by the Gospell , vnder the happie raigne of her maiestie . more bound to praise & serue God , then we English men ; now aboue fortie yeares , vnder the happie raigne of our deare Soueraigne and Ladie Queene Elizabeth , ( whom God long preserue ) tasting & enioying the sweet goodnes & fauor of God most kindly shewing it selfe , and shining into our harts , by his most blessed and ioyfull Gospel . No nation euer vnder heauen hath had more cause of ioy , and comfortable encouragement vnto godlinesse and honestie , then we Englishmen , all these yeares : when God most miraculously by a maiden Queene , ( the weaker vessell ) hath made his name knowen , and his Saintes glorious by deliueraunce : when mightie potentates could not stand in battaile , hee hath raised health by a woman , and made the weake to confound the strong . No nation euer vnder heauen , hath had more sure and perfect experience of the truth of God and his worde , and of the certaine knowledge of the holy faith and pure religion , then we Englishmen ( whose eyes the God of this world hath not blinded ) most abundantly haue had , that we might glorie in our God , and magnifie the rich grace of Iesus Christ , and the effectuall power of his holy and blessed spirit . For we haue seene the breath of Gods mouth , mightie to consume Antechrist , and the light of his word to make all things manifest : that it might be said of vs , as by prerogatiue it was once spoken of Israel : Psal. 147.19 . He sheweth his worde vnto Iacob , his statutes & his iudgements vnto Israel , he hath not so dealt with euerie nation , &c.

The entrance of her Maiesties raigne a most blessed day vnto England . There was a day of darkenesse , a day of great blacknes & sorrow , when the people of this land were made slaues , vnder the thraldome of spirituall Aegipt and Babilon : when they knew not aright the true and liuing God , nor the power & grace of our Lord Iesus Christ , but were led after vaine things , in whom there was no helpe ; and men by a iust plague of God , were giuen ouer vnto their owne lustes and fancies , yea euen vnto most abhominable idolatrie . But the day of her Maiesties most royall coronation was a day of light and glorie , a day of cleare and perfect ioy : in that day did the sunne of righteousnes arise & shined from on hie , hee cast forth his bright and pleasant beames , and enlightened all the land . Then fell away the grosse misse of palpable foolishnesse and ignorance , and the vaile of mans presumption was taken from our hartes . Then humane deuises , and the greeuous yoke of the apostaticall bondage in tradition & voluntary seruice of men , was taken from our necks . Then were our hearts opened and the light of the knowledge of the glorie of God , and his bright shining countenance in the face of Iesus Christ did shine into our soules . It was a day that the verie Angels of heauen did reioyce and sing , because of the sweet & blessed tidings of great ioy vnto al the people of this land . For the grace of God , which bringeth saluation vnto all men , did then appeare : and the beautifull feet of the messengers of peace , which brought tidings of good thinges , and said vnto euery elect soule , Thy God raigneth ; had then a merrie and comfortable passage and safe trauell ouer all the land : the embassadors of God brought vnto vs the wholsome word of reconciliation . Then did the Lorde plant his vineyard , and build his holy temple among vs , and hee became our strong sanctuarie , and visited vs with his rich mercie and saluation : his blessings spirituall and corporall most plentiful , flowed down from heauen vpon our land . So that our enemies being Iudges , it must needes be said : God hath done great things for vs , and hath giuen vs all things aboundantly to enioy . In which time many nations round about vs , in greeuous darknesse and bloudy miserie , euen mourning dayly before our eyes , might well haue counted themselues happie , if they had part of our peace . We haue lent and not borrowed , wee haue giuen and not taken : we haue beene a refuge for the poore , and a place of succour for the persecuted : our men and money haue beene a reliefe to the oppressed and deliueraunce to many in great daunger and distresse . Our prince hath bin an hyding place from the wind , & as a refuge for the tempest , as riuers of waters in a drie place , and as the shadow of a rocke in a wearie land . My pen is insufficient , and I am vnworthie and vnable to rehearse the manifold and constant goodnesse and fauours of God vpon vs these many yeares : O let vs loue the Lord and serue him , let vs praise and glorifie him , who hath beene so beneficiall and bountifull vnto vs . Hee hath deliuered our soules from death , our eyes from teares , and our feet from falling , hee hath brought vs out of the horrible pitte and mierie clay , and set our feet vpon the rocke and ordered our goings , & hath put in our mouthes a newe song of praise vnto our God : many that haue seene this haue reuerenced the Lord , and put their trust in our God . All Englishmen are bound to loue the Queenes most excelent Maiestie . And who can but loue the blessed and worthy instrument of our peace and ioy ? whose heart is not inflamed with her desire ? If wee were tenne thousand times more then wee are , and euerie man had a thousand liues , who would not willingly lay them downe at her feete in the cause of truth , to shewe his thankfull mind vnto her Maiestie : who hath constantly passed through many hazardes of her life for loue of Gods truth and care of his Church ? whose hart is not greatly moued to glorifie God , who hath giuen vs , so faithful & constant a nurse & louing mother , & so wonderfully defended and preserued her , and by & vnder her most happy gouernment hath made vs so many yeares together , without feare the free possessors of most vnspeakable ioy , in the participation of incomparable heauenly treasure and most flourishing earthly prosperitie .

We are to consider whether we haue rendred to the Lord according to his kindnes toward vs . But O my deare mother , my good & reuerend fathers and brethren , haue wee rendred to the Lorde according to his kindnesse ? haue wee with reuerence receiued , with thankfulnesse acknowledged , and with care & conscience vsed these mercies of our good and louing God and mercifull father in Iesus Christ ? O that I could boldly and faithfully so say ; & that our siluer were not become drosse , and our wine mixt with water . And that the vine which God hath planted with good and pleasant plants , did not in stead of grapes bring forth wild grapes : and men did not neglect yea forsake the word of the Lord , and follow the foolish imaginations of their owne heartes . O that it might not be iustly said , that the Lord hath a controuersie with this lande , because there is no truth , nor mercie , nor knowledge of God in the land . By swearing and lying , and killing , and stealing , and whooring , they breake out , and bloud toucheth bloud . And that men did not encourage one another , in their wicked and vicious liuing , saying : come and let vs bring wine , and wee will fill our selues with strong drinke , and to morrow shall bee as this day , and much more aboundant , let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall die . O that men would consider and that their hearts would smite them , in remembring and forethinking what a fatherly watch word , our tender and louing God hath giuen vs , by many and sundry most mild and kindly tempered corrections and chastisementes , at many times : but especially within these eighteene yeares last past , when hee beganne at his sanctuarie , and lightly touched his holy remembrancers , when he caused a great and cloudie mist to couer the verie heauens , so that many bright starres were not seene to shine for a certaine season . Then did the windes burst out shaking our houses ouer our heades , as vnworthie to dwell vnder so good and plentifull grace : our bodies and liues were assailed with grieuous pestilence , dearth , scarsitie , and the threatning sword did aduance themselues against vs . Thousands haue gone forth and returned but by hundreds . And now seeing all these things haue not made vs to turne to him that smiteth , neither do men seeke the Lord : behold euerie man seeth how his anger is kindled more and more , and how neere his sword is come vnto vs , that the Lords wrath is not turned away , but his hand is stretched out still . But yet if it please thee O God and mercifull father , bee thou entreated by thy poore seruants , ( who seeing the plague , call night and day vpon thee ) that thou take not so great vengeance of our sinnes , as to make the sweete streaming fountains , which water all thy holy temple and the garden of thy delight among vs , to be salt and vnsauourie : or to let that burning starre of wormewood , which is fallen from heauen to touch our riuers of waters : or that thou shouldst make the heart of this people fat , and their eares heauie & shut their eyes , least they see with their eies , and heare with their eares , and vnderstand with their heartes and conuert and thou heale them . Why should we be as men of another generation , which know not and remember not thy great workes , which thou hast done , by our princely Iehoshuah , and the great victorie ouer the Cananites of the land , by thine annointed handmaid our renowned Deborah : that our eyes should looke backe to the flesh pots of Egypt , or that wee should returne to ioyne in friendship , with that wicked Babilon , whom thou hast commanded vs to reward with double , as they haue rewarded vs : and learning their maners , & being partakers of their sinnes , we should be partakers of their punishmentes , and thou shouldst giue vs ouer to the enemie , and they which hate vs should be Lords ouer vs : and then al these good things and the light of thy countenance should bee quite turned from vs , and our glorie forsake vs . We haue indeed sinned most deare father , and our offences are many : yet is there mercie with thee that thou maiest bee feared : Teach vs therfore thy way O Lord , that we may walk in thy truth : and knit our hearts vnto thee , that we may feare thy holy name , euen for thy holy Son sake our deare Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen .

When men waxe rich they begin to bee carelesse : and by aboundance of peace , Deut. 32.15 . men forget themselues and fall away : as it is written : When he waxed fat , he spurned with the heele . For this cause hath God set vs ministers as watchmen to see the plague when it commeth , and to admonish the people , that they die not in their sinnes and to say vnto them : Take heed , you forget not the Lord your God which hath done all these good thinges for you , but feare ye the Lord your God , The cause matter & purpose of this booke . and serue him , thou shalt cleaue vnto him and sweare by his name . And this is verily the reason of the publishing of this treatise : wherein I shew that the religion and faith publikely professed in this Realme , and maintained by the righteous scepter and sword of our dread soueraign and gracious Queene Elizabeth , is of the onely truth , most auncient , catholicke , and vnchangeable ; out of which none euer haue beene saued , from the beginning of the world , neither can or shall bee . And that the faith and religion , vnder the pretence and name of Christ , Peter and Paul , and of the glorious shew and title of the Church , which is now professed at Rome , and followed by the vassals of the pope , is but a new , vpstart , hereticall and superstitious deuise of man , contrariant to the faith of Gods elect , & of the ancient couenant which God gaue & taught Abraham both for Iewes and Gentils , and which Moses and the prophets declared & expounded , and Christ fulfilled and established , and his holy Apostles published to all the world , and taught all nations by Christes commandement . For I thought my duetie first vnto God , and then to my gracious prince , to shew some token of my thankefull mind , and secondly to acknowledge my bounden duetie to Christes Church here among vs , my deare mother , in whose wombe I freely confesse my selfe to be bgotten and borne one of Gods children , and though of thousands the most vnworthie yet one of the seruants of Christ and of his congregation in the ministerie of his Gospell . And especially that I might call to remembrance and set before the eyes of my louing country men , my louing and faithfull brethren and sisters in Christ , the assurednesse of truth and the good treasure of God among vs : namely that wee are lighted vpon that heauenly pearle ( blessed be God ) for which a man would sell all that he hath : that this might bee some meanes to blow away the ashes from the cooling zeale of some : stirre vp and awake some that are now readie to sleepe , and bring backe againe some , ( if it please God ) which are readie to go out of the way : and that I might admonish others that they receiue not the grace of God in vaine . For when a man shall thinke with himselfe ( and well way it in his heart ) that we haue the true faith which is vnchaungeable , by which all Gods elect are saued : will it not moue him to bestir himselfe , that he neglect not so great saluation , and that he trie euerie spirit , before he beleeue , and that he be not caried away with the vaine shew of ostentation in men of schoole learning : but whomsoeuer he heare with the men of Berea to search the Scriptures whether those things be so ? yea though it were Paule or an Angel from heauen should preach another doctrine then that wee haue receiued , we should hold him accursed . I pray God for Christes sake to bee mercifull vnto mee , that as he put into mine hart to take this worke in hand , & hath graciously assisted me and strengthened me to finish it , and now to publish it . So it would please him to vouchsafe his blessing to accompanie the same , that it may bee accordingly profitable to many , and haue an effectuall fruit to his glorie and the good of his church , in the encouragement and strengthening of weake Christians . I humblie beg this at his fatherly hands in and by the mediation of his son Iesus Christ euen for his holy and blessed name , to whom with his holy spirit be all praise power and dominion for euer . Amen .