An oversight, and deliberation upon the holy prophet JonahAn ouersight, and deliberacion vpon the holy prophete Ionas

But the princes and the people continually defended the fall causes & accounted the prophets of god that would have corrected their error, to be seditious, & traitorous ⟨image 45⟩persons, and even so persecuted and killed them for there true preaching: Till at the last they perished and their realm with them, as ye may read .iiii. Regu. xvii. and in the last book of the Chronicles in the last Chapter. Unto the lesson of those two Chapters I exhort the wise, and godly hearer. For ye shall gather of those places that the contempt of God's word was the occasion of the loss of these realms.

But the princes and the people cō tinually defēded ye falle causes & accōpted ye prophetes of god yt wold haue corrected theyr error, to be sedicious, & trayterus ⟨image 45⟩persons, and euen so persecuted and kylled them for there true preachynge: Till at the last they perished and theyr realme wyth theym, as ye maye rede .iiii. Regu. xvii. and in the last booke of the Cronicles in the last Chapiter. Unto the lessō of those two Chapters I exhorte the wyse, and godly hearer. For ye shal gather of those places that the contempte of goddes worde was the occasion of the losse of these realmes.

The same evil vexeth us at this present day. The ship of this commune wealth of England is tossed upside down, and the occasion thereof is imputed and laid unto Christ and his holy word, though falsely, for Christs nature ⟨p. xxxvi⟩is to appease and quiet all troubles and tempests with his presence. John .vi. Therefore this false and preposterous cause of trouble must be taken heed of, if we wish the ship of this kingdom to come to rest. We shall never bring it to pass until such time as we agree and confess that Jonah is the occasion why the realm is thus unquieted, that is to say, as many as be in this realm, that neglect, or pervert their appointed vocation.