A15061:3
An answer to a certain book, writtenAn answere to a certeine booke, written
An answer to a certain book, written by Master William Rainolds student of divinity in the English college at Rhemes, and entitled, A refutation of sundry reprehensions, cavils, etc. by William Whitaker ...An answere to a certeine booke, written by Maister William Rainolds student of diuinitie in the English colledge at Rhemes, and entituled, A refutation of sundrie reprehensions, cauils, etc. by William Whitaker ...
Printed at London : For Thomas Chard, 1585
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
To the right honourable Sir William Cecil, Knight of the Garter, Baron of Burghley, Lord high Treasurer of England, and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Grace and peace.
To the right honorable Syr VVilliam Cecill, Knight of the Garter, Baron of Burghley, Lord high Treasurer of England, and Chancelor of the Vniuersitie of Cambridge, Grace and peace.
IT is not unknown to your Honour, how the adversaries have never ceased since the beginning of her Majesties most happy reign until this day, by their books in great numbers written and published, and by all other means, that possibly they might devise, to trouble the state of the Church, and to defame that holy religion of Christ, which through Gods great ⟨image 3⟩mercy, and godly laws of our gracious Sovereign, is according to his holy word established amongst us. What they have wrought with many of all estates, and how mightily they have prevailed with that strong & effectual illusion of Satan, which hath advanced Antichrist unto that supremacy of power, authority, and credit in the world, whereof the holy ghost by SS. Paul & John hath foretold, lamentable experience can witness in the backsliding, and continual falling of many away from us, to their own final perdition, to the grief of the godly, & to the great encouragement and comfort of the enemy. And among other examples of this Apostasy, I offer to your Honour one very notable, even the man with whom I have in this book to deal, who having been late not only a common professor of our religion, but a public minister and ⟨image 3⟩preacher of the same in our Church, hath not only revolted from us, through some worldly tentations, and run over into our enemies camp, but hath also lifted up his heel against us, and in open writing most maliciously and bitterly railed at us. Occasion of uttering his conceived malice against us, in his late writing he taketh by a certain Preface of mine before the answer to D. Saunders demonstrations of Antichrist, which being not very long, and handling no great variety of matter, I never thought could have provoked the Adversary so much, or procured so long and large a Confutation. I looked rather that the substance of my book concerning Antichrist, should have bin answered by some that would maintain Saunders arguments, whereby he laboureth to prove that the Pope cannot be Antichrist; which being in deed a weighty and most material