To the godly Readers, Grace, and peace from God. &c.

TWo treatises yee haue heere ensuing beloued
in Christ, which yee must read without
parcialitie or blinde affection. For otherwise
you shal neither see their meaning:
nor refraine youre selues from rashly condemning
of them withoute iuste cause. For certaine
men there are of great countenance, which wyll not
lightly like of them, bicause they principally concerne
their persons and vniuste dealings: whose credite is
great, and whose friendes are manye, we meane the
Lordly Lordes, Archbishopps, Bishoppes, Suffranes,
Deanes, Doctors, Archdeacons, Chauncelors,
and the rest of that proude generation, whose kingdome
must downe, holde they neuer so hard: bicause
their tyrannous Lordshippe can not stande wyth
Christes kingdome. And it is the speciall mischiefe of
oure Englishe churche, and the cheefe cause of backewardnesse,
and of all breache and dissention. For they
whose authoritie is forbidden by Christ, will haue
their stroke withoute theyr fellowe seruauntes, yea,
thoughe vngratiously, cruelly and Popelike they take
vpon them to beate them, and that for their owne
childishe Articles, being for the moste parte, againste
the manifest truthe of God: First, by experience their
rigoure hathe too plainely appeared euer since theyr
wicked raigne, and specially for the space of these fiue
or sixe yeares last past together. Of the enormities,
which with suche rigoure they maintaine, these treatises
do in part make mention, iustly crauing redresse
therof. But the matters do require a larger discourse.
Only the authors of these, thoughte it theyr partes to
admonishe you at this time, of those inconueniences
which men seme not to thincke vpon, and which with
out reformation, can not but increase further dissention:
the one parte being proude, pontificall and tyrannous:
and the woorde of God for the other parte expresse
and manifest, as if it pleased the frate to examine
the matters, it would be euident. And would to
God, that free conference in these matters mighte bee
had. For how so euer learned and many they seeme to
be, they shoulde and may in this realme finde inowe,
to matche them and shame them to, if they hold on as
they haue begonne. And out of this realme, they haue
all the best reformed churches thorowoute Christendome
againste them. But in a fewe wordes to saye
what we meane. Ether must we haue a right ministerie
of God, & a right gouernment of his church,
according to the scriptures sette vp bothe whiche we
lacke or else there can be no right religion, nor yet for
contempt therof can Gods plagues be from vs any
while differred. And therefore thoughe they lincke
in togither, and slaunderously charge poore menne
whom they haue made poore with greuous faults,
calling them Puritanes, worse than the Donatistes,
exasperating and setting on, suche as be in authoritie
againste them: hauing hitherto miserably handled
them, with reuilings, depriuations, imprisonmentes,
banishmentes, and suche like extremities, yet is these
poore mennes cause neuer the worse: nor these chalengers
the better: nor God his hande the further
of, to lincke in with his against them: nor you christian
brethren must neuer the rather without examination
condemne them. But thankefully take this tast
which god by these treatises offereth you, and weigh
them by the woorde of God, and doe your indeuoure
euery one in his calling to promote his cause. And
lette vs all with more earnest prayer then we are
wonte, earnestly commende it to God his blessing,
and namely, that it will please him by his spirite, to
lighten the heart of oure moste gracious soueraigne,
and the rest in authoritie, to the benefite of his small
flocke, and the ouerthrowe of theyr proude ennemies,
that godlinesse may by them proceede in peace, and
God his glory thorowe Iesus Christe, be throughly
aduaunced. Which we call God to witnesse, is oure
only laboure and sute. And so presently we leaue you
heartily beseeching God to graunt it. Amen.

We haue to desire thee Christian reader to beare
with some faultes escaped in the Printing of these
treatises, thincking it good to put thee in minde of one
or two, whiche may seeme somewhat to obscure the
matter: leauing the rest to thy good consideration, by
diligent reading to be amended.
In the first leafe of the seconde treatise, page. [illegible]
line. 30. in steed of first prone, that a reding seruice,
by the worde of God. &c. read, first proued
by the word of God, that a reading seruice. &c.
In the seconde leafe of the same treatise, pa. [illegible]
line. 12. in steede of a full sentence, at, this worde
content make a little pause, and continue the
sentence, til the next ful poynt. And thus fare
well in our Lorde and Sauioure Christe.