may please you not only to imbrace me more more vvith your good vvill and fauour but also to cherishe defende this vvriting by your authoritie vvhiche although it come foorth vnder your name in the English tung as clothed in a new garmēt yet is it set out by me as a cōfession of my fayth to be examined and iudged by the whole church of England And thus I wish your noble L. most happy welfare prosperity beseching our most gracious almightie God to preserue your Honor long in health as a right strong defence vnto this Realme Your good L. most humble Anthonie Corranus TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL THE GENTLEMEN OF BOTH THE TEMPLES which studie the common Lawes of Englande Anthonie Coranus of Ciuill sendeth greeting in Christ. RIGHT Worshipfull to whom I am in many respects beholden it is nowe full three yeeres agoe since by Gods prouidence and as I beleeue calling and by your voices together with the cōfirmation of the right Reuerend father in God the Lord Edwine Sandes Bishop of London I was chosen to execute the office of reading the Diuinitie Lecture in your companies In whiche time how great curtesie I haue receyued at your handes it is not needefull to rehearse heere for asmuche as the ende of your weldooing is not to seeke perishing glory among men by the sounde of a Trumpet but too haue it appeare before the eyes of Gods maiestie by whose inspiration and grace they bee done there to bee adorned with their due prayse and revvarde Therefore leauing the setting foorth of youre friendlinesse tovvards mee I vvill saye somevvhat of my dutie tovvards you of the office of teaching in the executing whereof the Apostle Paule willeth his deare beloued Timothie too obserue these poynts 2. Tim. 2. and. 15. Indeuer sayth he to yeelde thy selfe a tryed vvorkeman vnto God such a one as needeth not too bee ashamed and as deuideth the worde of truthe rightly The Apostle requireth heere as I thinke three thinges both in his shepheard whom he fashioneth and in all the dealers foorth of the heauenly doctrine The first is that they strayne themselues to the vttermost to yeeld thēselues tried workmen vnto God euē in the maner of their teaching in no wise coueting the perishing prayse of men muche lesse standing ouer fearfully in awe of the iudgemēts of ambitious teachers Another is that they sticke lustely to the work that is inioyned them in no wise being ashamed of Christes Gospell but gladly and cherefully imbracing the miseries that are laide vpon them and the crosse which is wont to be the vnseparable companion of all Christes disciples and specially of such as are called too the building vp of Gods church and labour stoutly therin The third is that they deuide the worde of truth rightly that is to say that as nere as is possible they aduisedly set foorth obserue a true Method or order of teaching taken out of the holy writers and fashioned like to the patterne and practise of the sermōs of the Prophets As touching the first point Paul warneth Timothy that he which hath the charge to instruct mē in the faith must haue his eyes cast vpō god not couet to vaūt himselfe to the worldwarde For witty men are wont to hunt more for the prayse of the people thā for the edifying of the Churche Therefore the effectuallest remedie of that leawdnesse is to yelde profe of our selues and of our seruice vnto God with whome if wee thinke our selues to haue to doo all desire of perking vp will bee gone and we will bee muche more carefull to become faythfull stewards of Gods truth than ydle disputers of it Setting this warning of the Apostles before mine eyes I haue purposely as neere as I coulde absteyned from all contentious questions and alterations which are wont to haue more curiositie than profite Agayne I considered howe yee haue very famous Vniuersities full of excellent lerned men in which I know that if any poynt of Christian doctrine require more diligent opening it is wont to be inlightned made plaine by publike disputations and therefore to knit many and harde knottes and to vnknitte them agayne and to deuise curious questions in the decyding whereof there may appeare more worldly slight than heauenly light in open assembly where persons ignorante of holy matters are oftentimes wont to intermingle themselues with the learned I thought it was no discretion at all Neuerthelesse leauing euery man free to his owne iudgement I will make haste to the considering of the Apostles seconde precept For he willeth vs to be workmen in buylding of the Churche and to bestow our trauell in suche sort as the fruites of godlinesse which our hearers shall bring foorth may beare recorde of our diligence in husbanding the Lordes vineyarde And wheras he sayth that Gods seruaunts and workemen muste not in any wise be ashamed it conteyneth a notable lesson of the bearing of the Crosse which is wont to accompanie Gods faythfull ministers For it is not inough for them to apply their inioyned charge day and night but they must also with an vndiscouraged mind abide the hissings raylings wrong-dealings of suche as passe by yea and sometymes also the backbytings of those whose vineyarde they seeke to doo good vnto The mynding of this precept hath brought agayne too my remembraunce what a number of troubles and incombraunces I haue borne out since the time that the lord called mee to the charge of teaching in his Churche But to say the turthe playnly as it is they for whose sakes I haue taken payne these full ten yeres do more comber me with their priuie maner of dealings than other that are at open defiaunce agaynst Gods seruaunts and workmen Wherefore leauing the miseries sorowes of mind wherewith men of my calling are wont to be vexed I will speake heere but onely of those incumberaunces which haue made my crosse the greeuouser added vndoubtedly and layde vpon me by their meanes who if I be not deceyued ought rather too haue beene Iosephs of Aramathia in helping mee to beare the burthen of my crosse than to haue made it heauyer I will not say importable by their attempts But to the matter Although not with suche diligence as I ought to doo for I am a man and therefore thinke not my selfe priuiledged from any frayltie of man yet too the vttermoste of my power I haue too vse Paules manner of speeche indeuered to make my selfe alowable before God in discharging my dutie among you most deere Readers In the meane while none of both the crosses neither inwarde nor outwarde hathe wanted Inwardly the changing of my function did long trouble my minde And outwardly the misreportes that were spred abrode of me and my doctrine did greeue me more than can be vttered Of mine inwarde griefe this was not the least part for thereat will I beginne that whereas from my very youth all my studies haue
FINIS The Articles of the Catholike fayth which Anthonie Coranus Spaniarde Student of Diuinitie professeth and alwayes hath professed Nowe set out in Print for their sakes which haue not bene present at his Readings To the Christian Reader 1. Pet. 1.15 THe Apostle Peter exhorteth the faythful in these words To be readie to yeelde an account of their faith Be ye always readie to answere euery man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in you with mildnesse and reuerence hauing a good conscience that they which slaunder your good conuersation in Christ may be ashamed of their misreporting of you as euil doers Beeing warned by this counsel an eight yeeres agoe when I taught at Andwerp in the French tung I wrate a confession of my fayth in the same language which by Gods grace shall within a while come foorth in Latin and Englishe also Afterwarde I wrate at London certeyne Tables concerning Gods works which were printed in fower Languages Latin Frenth Dutche and English In the short Articles of those Tables I indeuered to comprehende as it were in propositions the holy doctrine of bothe the Testamentes And I beleeue assuredly that in that writing I haue sette foorth the true the right meaning and the very pure truthe of the Christian Religion drawen oute of the fountaynes of the holye Scriptures and that in suche orderlye methode and apparante playnnesse as my conscience vpbraydeth mee not withe any errour Howe beit that soome reporte otherwise eyther peraduenture bicause they perceyue not my meaning at all or else bicause they looke but slightly vppon the articles them selues Now therefore for their sakes which haue not read those writings I will set downe certen shorte articles concerning the chief points of our christian religion which I imbrace with all my hart Farewell gentle reader and hereafter neither thinke nor speake euill of any man for the reports that are spred abrode of him but first giue him eare and heare his reasons Of Gods written worde I receyue and imbrace the Canonicall scriptures both of the olde testament and of the new and I thanke our God for raysing vp that light vnto vs that wee might haue it euer before our eyes least we should be led away to errours or fables eyther by deceiptfulnesse of men or by the wilinesse of deuils I beleeue that they be heauenly voyces whereby God hath vttred his wil vnto vs That mens minds can haue no rest but onely in them That in them as Origen Austin Chrisostome and Cyril haue taught all things are conteyned abundantly and fully which are needfull for our saluatioÌ„ That they be the power and might of God vnto saluation That they be the foundation of the Prophets Apostles whervpon Gods Church is buylded That they be the most certen rule wherunto the Churche may bee inforced if it swarue or go astray and wherevnto all the doctrine of the Churche ought to be â—alled backe And that against them there â—s no lawe no tradition no custome to be â—eard no not although Paule him selfe or an Angell from heauen should come and teache otherwise Of the mysterie of the holy Trinitie Therfore I beleeue that there is one certen nature and diuine power whiche we call God and that the same is distinguished into three equall persons the Father the sonne and the holy Ghost al of one selfe same power of one selfesame maiestie of one selfsame euerlastingnes of one selfsame Godhead of one selfsame substaunce And that althoughe those three persons be so distincte that neyther the Father is the Sonne nor the Sonne is the holy Ghoste or the father yet they bee all three one God and that the same one created heauen and earth and all thinges that are conteyned in the compasse of the heauen whether they be seene or vnseene Of Christe the Mediator betweene God and man I beleeue that Iesus Christ the onely sonne of the euerlasting father toke flesh and mans whole nature vpon him of the blessed and pure virgin when the fuâ— time was come according as had bin determined long ago before all worlds to shew vnto men the secret and hidden wiâ— of his father whiche had bin kept close from al ages and generations and to accomplish the miserie of our redemption in humane body and to nayle to hys crosse our sinnes and the handwriting that was written agaynst vs. Of the holy Ghost I beleeue that the holy Ghost whiche is the thirde person in the holy Trinity is the very true god not made not created not begotten but proceding froÌ„ both that is to wit from the father the sonâ— by an vnutterable meanes vnknowen to men and that it belongeth to him to soften the hardnes of maÌ„s hart and that when he is receiued into their brests eyther by the preaching of the gospell or by any other meane he inlighteneth them and leadeth them vnto the knowing of God into the way of all truthe into newnesse of the whole lyfe and into hope of euerlasting saluation Of the Catholike Church I beleeue that there is but one church and that the same is not now shet vp into any one corner or kingdom as it was in times past among the Iewes but that it is Catholike and vniuersall spred abrode through the whole worlde so as there is now no Nation that can iustly complayn that it is excluded and can not belong to the Church and people of god That the same Church is the kingdome the body and the bridâ—e of Christ that of that kingdome only Christ is the king that of that body only christ is the head that of that bride only Christ is the bride grome That there are diuers orders of ministerie in the Churche some Deacons some Elders some Bishops to whom the teaching of the people and the care of ordering of Religion is committed and that no one eyther is or can be ouerruler of the whole forsomuche as Christe is euer present in his church and needeth not a lieuetenante to supply his roome in the whole and no man is able to comprehend in mind the whole Churche that is to say all partes of the earth muche lesse to set them in order to rule theÌ„ rightly handsomly Thaâ— the Apostles as Cyprian sayth were aâ— of like power amoÌ„g theÌ„selues that thâ— residue were the same that Peter was 〈◊〉 That it was said alike to them all feedâ— yee That it was sayd alike to them all â–ª Go ye into the whole world That it was sayd alike to them al Teach the Gospel â–ª and that as Ierome sayth all Bishops whersoeuer they be ether at Rome or aâ— Eugubium or at Constantinople or aâ— RhegiuÌ„ are all of one desert all of onâ— Priesthood and that as Cyprian saythâ— there is but one Bishoprick that euerâ— Bishop holdeth a part of it as the whole and that according to the Councel of Niceâ— the bishop of Rome hath no more poweâ— ouer the church of Christ
vnto you which doo rather wey the matter that is spoken than with how vvell fyled termes it is vttered I am nother vvearie nor ashamed of the charge that I haue taken in hande Nay rather I doo often thinke bethinke mee of this saying of S. Austins that happie is that necessity vvhich driueth a maÌ„ to the better thinges For this I may plainely confesse that of these manye yeares I neuer led a meryer or happier lyfe nor continued in my studies vvith more cheerfulnesse and peraduenture frute also thaÌ„ since I began to execute the office of a teacher in your companye And vvould God that mine olde aduersaries dyd not ageine enuy this my happy state and prepare nevv snares too incumber this my quyetnesse of vvhose vntovvard dealing ageinst me I could heere say ouermuch and truly the order of my promised partition requireth that I shoulde recken vp here the false reports that are spred abrode of mee and disperse them by shevving the truth but it is better to passe them ouer vvith silence than to speake to little of so wrongfull and long a matter I wish no more but only this that those men will gyue mee but so loÌ„g truce as to passe out of this life with a quiet pesable mind And when I am dead let theÌ„ gnaw euen the stones of my graue if they list But if the thing I wish caÌ„not hapeÌ„ to me as it befalleth not to mortal wretches to haue any thing happie in all poyntes I vvill vvillingly in the meane vvhile both heare imbrace the crosse that God hath prepared for me and layde vpon me And if the weight of it ouerlode my shoulders I will rather call some Cyrenian too mee too beare the one halfe of the burthen vppon his shoulders with me than cast it quite away But what Cyrenian shall I finde more friendly or willing to ease mee of my burthen than him that with his moste sweete wordes allureth all men to him Math. 11. saying Come vnto mee all yee that faynt and are ouerloden and I will refreshe you Therefore I beseeche Iesus Christ the only begotten sonne of the liuing God sauiour of mankinde to helpe me in bearing of my crosse and so to holde beare vp with his most mightie handes the burthen of it which doubtlesse is too me intolerable as I may paciently willingly beare it with him and that he suffer not my harte to bee tickled with desire of reuenge agaynst suche as stayne mee defame mee persecute me trouble me The heauenly doctrine commaundeth vs to loue our enemies and not to pay them like for like by rayling vpon them but rather to doo good to them that hate vs and to wish well to them for the wronges that we haue receyued at their hands Therefore folowing this rule I besech almighty God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ to gyue my backebiters the spirit of amendment and a better minde towards me that by seeking to deface me they hinder not the course of the gospell specially among myne owne countrymen which may heere some vncerteyn reportes but not the reasons lykewise God graunt at this my prayer request that the mindes of my persecuters maye one day bee bowed turned For to speake with a good conscience what I thinke in my hart I had rather contende with these men in the dutyes of charity than by slaunderous Epistles byting bookes spitefull wrytings raylings tauntes such other as I suppose most vnsemely weapons which eueÌ„ christian souldiers ought to abhorre much lesse can in any wise become the preachers of the Gospell Therefore as long as I can I will warde their iniuries with prayers and vse modest defences least I take harme in the meane vvhyle by holding my peace But if I see them proceede in their vntovvard maner of dealing I vvill not say maliciousnesse and rancour of minde I will peraduenture desire the Lorde to helpe me with fitte and liuely colours wherwith to peint out the image of slanderousnesse as Apelles did that I may discouer their spitefull lyes wherwith they go about to oppresse mine innocency But heereof inough Now I returne to the text of the Apostle Paules thirde precept is that the dealers foorth of the holy doctrine shoulde deuide the worde of truthe aright In the Greeke worde Orthotomein for that vvorde ansvvereth to two Latin words as I thinke there lieth hidde a most excellent allusion to the Ceremonie of sacrifising in the olde Lavve For as Mosesis Priest ought to haue a moste exact skill both hovve to cutte out the â—â—crifice and hovve to deale it foorth â—nd the sleying distributing of the â—â—crifice did out of all doubte repreâ—â—nt Gods onely begotten sonne vvho became the sacrifice of propitiation â—or vs to take away the sinnes of the worlde so also the priest of the Gospell muste bee skilfull and taught of God that he may be able to cutte or deuide the worde of truthe knovve hovve to deale it foorth discretly and fitly Setting this precept before mine â—yes from the time that the Lord called me to this Ecclesiasticall function I haue indeuered not onely to delyuer to my hearers a pure and sounde doctrine dravven out of the fountaynes of the holy Scriptures but also to obserue that way and trade of teaching which the holy writers were woÌ„t to vse in their sermoÌ„s For I am of opinion that an vntoward and disordred trade of teaching doth in manner no lesse harme to the hearers thaÌ„ the vnpurenesse of doctrine It is an old Proâ—erb A good thing is euil if it be done out of season For lyke as a Phisition maye minister good and wholesome medicines too his patient and yet very farre ouershot himself in this that he neither considereth well the complexion of the party diseased nor obserueth the fit oportunity of tyme so also it falleth out often tymes in the dealing forth of the heaueÌ„ly doctrine that some man beinge touched with vnaduised zeale steppeth forth vncalled of God and thrusteth out the true things which he hath gleaned vp here and there out of other mens bookeâ— or sermons without hauing any respect of the persons of his heerers or withoute any considering of the circumstaÌ„ces of the time But to mount vp yet higher and to say plainly what I thinke This moste excellent part of the holy ministration that is too wit this skill of diuiding dealing forth which sothly is the diuine logike that openeth the trade of teachinge the gospell hath his originall of Gods calling For euen he that maketh men fit ministers of the new Testament that is to wit not of the letter but of the spirit euen he himselfe I say gyueth the spirit of discretion to the dealer forth of his heauenly word to know how to gyue measurable meale in due tyme and also to haue wit to bring foorth both new thinges and old out of his storehowse as a skilfull scribe in the kingdome of
imbracing Gods truth with a true fayth and of expressing the beleeued truth in holy conuersation And all these thinges both generally and particularly as men terme it are taught by the Apostle in this Epistle to the Romaines the exposition whereof you haue heard of me this last yeere And bicause that in the time of my reading I haue gathered many things heere and there out of the Commentaries both of the olde and nevve Expositors vvhiche haue inlightened this Epistle vvith their vvritings I intended to set together this dialog out of that houge heape of my papers and to offer the same vnto you and that doo I for tvvo causes First that the reading of this booke may bring the thinges agayne to your remembraunce which I haue handled more at large in my Readings and secondly that there may remayne some publike vvriting among you as a record both to them that are absent and to suche as shall come after of the purenesse of my doctrine vvhich I haue taught in your coÌ„panie and how muche I abhorre the opinions of Sectaries which trouble the Churches nowadayes with their errours Also you are my witnesses after what maner I coÌ„futed the froward opinions of the Pelagians and selfe iustifiers in the discourse of IustificatioÌ„ Yee knovve also with howe great diligence I haue in the discourse of Predestination or of the calling of the Gentiles vnfolded and confuted both the madnesse of the Stoikes and chieflye the horrible blasphemies of the Manichies that by my shewing of these breakneckes you might keepe your pace in the kings high way without stumbling and imbrace the Apostles doctrine as the only rule of truth Finally to conclude I beseeche you of your gentlenesse and curtesie as to vvhome I thinke my selfe in many respects righte greatly beholden too accept this my small trauell with lyke minde as it is offered vnto you and where shall I finde anye thing in this writing that may stirre vp your minds too the loue of godlinesse thanke almightie god of it who hath imparted these things vnto me to doe you good withall And where any thing shall seeme rude and vnpolished lay that all wholly vpon mee vvho forasmuch as I am a man doo vvell knovve my selfe to be ignorant in many things and not able alwayes to expresse in fit vvordes the thinges that I knovve Wherefore I beseech you haue respect of mans vveaknesse and vvhere yee shall mislike anye thing first admonishe mee friendly of it before yee conceyue amisse of mee for it For as I confesse I may erre so I protest with good conscience that I vvill not stand in any errour Fare yee vvell And I beseeche almightie God the geuer of all good things to bee with yoâ— and to further your attemptes that â—our studies maye not onely profite â—he common Wealth to yeelde euery â—an his righte by the knovvleege of â—our Lavves but also be to the vvelâ—are of the Churche that true godlinesse and the pure doctrine of the Gospell may bee furthered by them Out of my Studie the last day of May. 1574. A generall Argument vpon all the Epistles of the Apostles THe holy Ghost hath so tempered the Epistles of the Apostles that euery of theâ— handleth a sundrie matter from other Fâ— the Epistle to the Romaines is a perfect instruction of a Christian. The two Epistles to the Corinthians do open the doubts of Churchmatters That to the Galathians breaketh thâ— strife betweene Moyses and Christ and betweene the selferighteous and the beleeuer in Christ That to the Ephesians doth moste plenteously lay forth the kingdome of Christ likâ— as that doth which is written to the Colossians The two to the Thessalonians describâ— Antichrist and the last day with the mysterie of the Resurrection and the things belonging therevnto The two vnto Timothie and the one vnto Titus doo peint out liuely the office of 〈◊〉 true shepheard and Bishop That to Philemon setteth down the profeâ— of mercie and Christian charitie That whiche was sent to the Hebrewes lyghteneth Christ by the shadowes of Moses and the Oracles of the Prophetes S. Iames correcteth the errour that sprung of the misvnderstanding of Paules doctrine and sheweth that the sauing fayth must bee liuely and frutefull Peter treateth of Christes kingdome and of the mysterie of his crosse howbeit in his owne style and peculiar gift and he sayeth the same thing that Paule dooth but not after the same maner so as yee maye perceiue them to haue had bothe one meaning but not bothe one mouth John teacheth the freendship and vnitie which wee haue with God through Christ and thervppon he vrgeth charitie and good woorkes with James Iude disclozeth the daungers of backeslyding as an vpholder of Peter and also vvill haue the feare of God taught to new-beginners and not onely his fauour and mercie least the preaching of Gods louingnesse might turne into fleshly libertie The Apocalips openeth the mysteries that shall happen in the last times Heereby it appeareth manifestly that nothing can be had or red more absolute than the new Testament For it teacheth the things that are to be knowen forwarneth things hurtfull and prophesieth both of good things and bad things to come The Argument of the Epistle of Paule the Apostle to the Romanes takeÌ„ out of the bokes of Athanasius Biship of Alexandria THey be called Paules Epistles bicause he wrote them And by them he both admonisheth and correcteth those whom he had seene and taught and also laboreth to teach them the same things whom he had not sene as they may perceiue which light vpon theÌ„ This to the Romanes he wrote from Corinth at what time he had not yet seene them but yet had herd of their faith and was desirous to see them And first of all he prayseth their faith which he herd spoken of euerywhere Then doth he them to vnderstande that he had purposed to come to theÌ„ for the good will that he bare them but hitherto could not Howbeit he frameth his Epistle after a maner of teaching informing them of the calling of the Gentiles and that circumcision serued but for a time was now abolished that Adams traÌ„sgression was discharged by Christ that the shadow of the Law was vanished away Therfore that the calling of the Gentiles was done consequently in good order he prouth in this wise He sheweth that the law is grafted in all men and that any man may know God euen of his own mother wit by the creation and state of things without the doctrine of the Law written And therefore he doth worthely first of all blame the Gentiles that wheras God hath opened the knowledge of himselfe vnto them by the works of the world and therwith also shewed them his euerlasting power which is his worde wherin and wherby he made all things They considered not by the creatures that God was the workmaster of such things but rather ascribed godhead to his creatures and worshipped them rather than the maker of
of this Citie is which is the head of the world And yet you haue bene so bold as to write this Epistle vnto vs as to folke ignorant of holy matters or as though there were no techers and shepeheards among vs by whose trauell preaching and writings Gods will might be opened vnto vs. P. Truly my brother I am fully persuaded of the thing that you tell mee namely that you bee full of desire of goodnes and of all knowledge of matters perteining to god insomuche that you are able to admonish one another and to instruct and trayne vp one another in the doctrine of Christ Therfore in writing vnto you I ment not to take vpon me as a teacher controller but I haue written somevvhat with the boldest vnto you to put you in remēbrāce according to the charge whiche god hath graunted me that I should be the minister of Iesus Christ to the gentiles in setting foorth of the gospell and in preaching it as a thing of most excellēt maiesty that the sacrifice wherby I offer vp the gentils purified by faith may be acceptable to god forasmuch as it is alreadie halovved by the breathing of his holy spirit vpon it Therefore I haue vvritten this letter not to teache you and muche lesse to rebuke you but rather to put you in remembraunce of things R. But there are diuers which terme this dede of yours a bold enterprise and impute it to the disease of a stately mind Specially your own countreymen spred abrode misreportes of you to bring your ministration in misliking among the vnskilfull For they take it sore to harte that you should as it were despise the Iewes and go to the Gentiles among whom you haue not yet greatly preuailed But what is the let of your preaching I am vtterly ignorant P. Of those mennes reportes I passe not at all but of mine ovvne office vvherevvith I am inhonored by Gods goodnesse too bee as hys instrumente in trayning the Gentiles too the Gospell and in offering them vp to God surely I haue cause too glorye not proudely among menne but humbly before god in Christe Iesu vpon whom I father all good things As touching the fruit of my preaching truly I can not find in my hart to speak of any thing which Christ hath not don by me in bringing the gentiles to obedience I say in bringing them both by words and deedes by deedes through working of signes and wonders and by words of preaching wherin gods spirite vttered his power and workfulnes in so much that I fulfilled the office of preaching Christes gospell from Ierusalem and the countreys therabouts euen vnto Illyrike R. What did the other Apostles which saw Christ did not they also preache in those Countreys P. What others iudge I haue not to iudge This I may auow with good conscience that I indeuered as I might terme it hunted in my harte that my preaching of the gospell might bee in those places not vvhere Christ had bin knovven or named before but vvhere there had neuer bene any mentiō made of him R. For what cause P. I had causes inow of this mine intent which it is not nedefull to reherse This among other I alwayes obserued that I vvould not buyld vpon another mans foundation and I had continually before mine eyes this prophesie of Esaies wherin the preaching of the gospell among the gentiles is most manifestly described Es 52.26 They sayth he that were neuer tolde of him he speaketh of the manifestation of god him selfe which is Christ shal see and they that neuer heard of him before shall vnderstande And these are the lettes that I spake of in the beginning of the epistle whereby I was held backe that I could not come vnto you though I vvished often for this iourney But now that I had no more to doe in those Coastes and was desirous to come vnto you and that surely now many yeeres ago I had so determined my iourney that I wold visite you in my vvay into Spaine For I hoped to see you in passing thys way and to be brought thither by you Howebeit with condicion that I had first somewhat slaked my desire by being conuersant with you a few daies after a sort satisfied my longing by being in companye with you For at the same tyme that I wrat this Epistle I was going to Ierusalem too minister to the Saints that professed Christes Gospell For it seemed good to the churches of Macedonia and Achaia to make some contribution of their goods for the releefe of the poore Saynts that lyued at Ierusalem 2. Cor. 9. So seemed it good to those churches and truely they owe it of duety For although almes deedes are of vncōstreyned will yet do we owe them by the law of charity For it is agreable to godlinesse that if the Gentyles be made partakers of the spirituall goods of the Israelites the Gentiles should also communicate to them their worldly and transitory goods But to come too my purpose againe when I had so done and conueyed that almes sealed to the Sayntes at Ierusalem I determined to haue come this way into Spaine And I had conceiued greate hope of Gods bounteousnesse towards me I knew for a certeintie that whensoeuer I came to you I shuld not come empty but rather with store of blessing plenty of the ornaments gyftes and fruits of the gospel For I vvarrant my selfe so much of Gods loue both tovvardes my ministrrie and tovvardes your church And therfore I prayed you for our Lord Iesus Christes sake and for the loue of the spirit to labour vvith me and to helpe me vvith your prayers vnto God firste that I might be deliuered alas for sorow frō the stubborne and wilfull sort that are in Iewrie and secondlye that the same seruice of mine the liberall present which I brought to the Saints at Ierusalem as their minister Deacon might be acceptable to thē to the intēt that whē I had accōplished this my duty I mighte afterwarde come vnto you with ioy by Gods will and be refreshed with you But see howe diuerse a falling out God hath giuen to my purpose determination R. That is no new thing Paule For so is god wōt to deale oft times with his seruāts in the meane while he will haue vs to hāg wholly vpō his appointmēt prouidēce to assure our selues that that issew of things is both acceptablest to him most for our behoofe not which liketh vs but which pleaseth his prouidēce If you had come at that time to Rome afterward gon hēce into Spayne peraduenture you woulde haue had sōe good opiniō of your own diligēce Also the flesh being desirous of glory woulde haue wished his tryumphes for that you had durst to preach Christes Gospell in a place of such maiesty We also being not yet rid of our old affectiōs would haue imputed the proceding of the gospell among vs altogither to your