The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

As John Knox had fore-warned us by his Letters from Geneva, of all dangers that he foresaw to ensue our enterprise; so when he came to Dieppe, mindful of the same; and resolving with himself, what remedy God would please to offer, he took boldness to write to Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State in England, with whom the said John had been before familiarly acquainted, intending thereby to renew acquaintance, and so to open further of his mind. The tenor of his first Letter follows: The spirit of Judgement, Wisdom, and Sanctification, I wish unto you, by Jesus Christ. ¹AS I have no pleasure with long writing to trouble you (Right Honourable) whose mind I know to be taken up with most grave matters, so I mind not greatly to labour by long Preface, to conciliate your favours, which I suppose I have already (howsoever rumours brute the contrary) as the favour it becometh one member of Christs Body to have of another: The contents therefore of my present Letter shall be absolved in 2 points: In the former, I purpose to discharge in few words my conscience towards you: And in the other, sum what must I speak, for my own defence, and in defence of that poor Flock of late assembled in the most godly reformed Church and City of the world, Geneva: To you, Sir, I say, that as from God you have received, life, wisdom, honours, and the present estate in the which you now stand, so ought you wholly to apply the same to the advancement of his glory, who only is the author of life, the fountain of wisdom, and who most assuredly doth and will honour & glorify them that ⟨p. 219⟩with simple hearts do glorify him; which alas in times past you have not done, but being overcome with common iniquity, you have followed the world, in the way of perdition: for to the suppressing of Christs true Evangel, to the erecting of Idolatry, and to the shedding of the blood of Gods most dear Children; Have you by silence consented and subscribed this your most horrible defection from the known Trueth, and once professed, hath God to this day mercifully spared? Yea, to mans judgement he hath utterly forgotten, and pardoned the same: He hath not dealt with you as he hath done with others (of like knowledge) whom in his anger (but yet most justly according to their deserts) he did shortly strike after their desertion:

As Iohn Knox had fore-warned us by his Letters from Geneva, of all dangers that he foresaw to ensue our enterprise; so when he came to Deipe, mindefull of the same; and resolving with himself, what remedy God would please to offer, he took boldnesse to write to Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State in England, with whom the said Iohn had been before familiarly acquainted, intending thereby to renew acquaintance, and so to open further of his minde. The tenor of his first Letter follows: The spirit of Iudgement, Wisedome, and Sanctification, I wish unto you, by Iesus Christ.