The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

To the right Honourable the Lord Henry, Earle of Huntington, Lord Hastings, &c. Knight of the most honourable order of the Garter, and Lord President of the Queens Majesties Council established in the North parts: Christopher Fetherstone wisheth increase of spiritual gifts, long life, and happy days.

To the right Honorable the Lorde Henrie, Earle of Huntington, Lord Hastings, &c. Knight of the most honorable order of the Garter, and Lord President of the Queenes Maiesties Counsell established in the North partes: Christopher Fetherstone wisheth increase of spirituall gifts, long life, and happie daies.

IF that (right Honourable) I should prefix any long and tedious Preface before this work in commendation of your Honour, I should of some be suspected of flattery: If in praise of these learned Commentaries, it should seem a thing superfluous, seeing they sufficiently commend themselves: If in excuse of those faults which are by me in translating hereof committed: some censuring Cato would condemn me, because I would take in hand a work so weighty, being not able to be without fault, and by craving pardon for faults, lay open my folly. Omitting therefore these things which might carry with them such inconveniences, I hasten unto that whereof I am chiefly to speak: namely to lay open the causes moving me to dedicate this my simple translation unto your Honour. Your deserts of Gods church, your singular zeal, your unfeigned faith, your sincere profession, your especial care to advance Gods glory, and to root out papistry, your faithfulness toward your Prince have been such, that this Realm generally, but my countrymen in the North parts, my native soil specially, have & shall have ⟨image 3⟩great cause to praise God for you in the day of their visitation, even when it shall please God of his great mercy to behold them with favourable countenance, and to take from them in greater measure that blindness and superstition, wherein they had been long time nuzzled, and being fast bred by the bone, is not yet (through want of means) gotten out of the flesh. Seeing all these virtues are in you to be found: seeing both this church and country have found you so beneficial, whom ought not these things to provoke to show all thankfulness toward your honour? Again, when this history of the Acts of the Apostles was first penned in Gr[…] by Luke, it was dedicated to noble Theophilus: When M. Calvin did the second time publish his Commentaries thereupon in Latin, he presented them unto one who was in mind a noble Theophilus. Least therefore this work now published in English, should by dedication be any whit debased, I have made choice of your honour, being no less a noble Theophilus than those before mentioned. Another thing which is not so much a cause as an encouragement, is that courtesy which your honour showeth to those, which present unto you any exercises of learning how simple soever they be;