The translatour to the Reader

A Man that lyste diligentlye to consider & deeply to weygh the wonderfull chaunge whiche vniuersallye euery age bryngeth, and woorketh in all worldly thynges, shall perceaue that it seemeth in maner not to be the worlde that before it was, but rather (in comparyson) the firste consummate and ended, a newe substitute and succeedyng in the place therof: And whither a man lyke to obserue the same in matters of great waight, or els of lesse importaūce, he shall not want cause to wonder to see such mutation in all thinges. But were it so, that this chaunge were for the better, than might man iustly receaue comfort by the consideration thereof. But alas it is so farre from that, that on the contrary parte, we maye beholde in so many and so often mutations, decay in euery one, & eche one worse then other, & so the last worst of all the rest. Which thyng ryght well appeareth, aswell by diuine as prophane wryters in euery age, amongste whom the poetes (not without great consideration) esteemed the first to be lyke golde, the next so decayed that it was from golde abased to syluer, the thirde to brasse, the fourth of lesse price and halue, and was become lyke iron, whervpon they all lament the decay of vertue, loue, and feare of God, decay of charitie, decay of true fayth, decay of mutuall loue, decay of fidelitie & good conscience, decay of obedience, decay of humilitie, and finally and chiefly decay of deuotion, prayer, and heauenly contemplation, whiche ought to be the roote out of the which all the rest should growe and flooryshe, as proceedyng frō a perfect loue and reuerent feare of God: For by the decay therof, God is not called vppon for his grace and assistaunce, he is not thanked & praysed for his mercye and great benefites, the rewarde of his mercy is not desired, the horrible punyshement of his iustice is not feared, whereby we lyue as though we had no nede of God, and as though we hoped for no better, nor mistrusted no worse than we fynd here, as though God were not the rewarder of vertue and punysher of vice, and finally as though there were no God at all, no resurrection, no heauen nor hell. So as in this tyme these olde verses are more than trulye verified here. Eleu viunt homines tanquam mors nulla sequatur. Et velut infernus fabula vana foret. Men lyue and yet beleue not That death wyll ouertake them: And paynes of hell they feare not For fables they accompt them. For if God be, why acknowlege not we his power, maiestie, and omnipotencie, and honour hym thereafter? If God be mercyfull, why craue we not his mercy? If God be iuste, why feare we not his vengeaunce, and begge his pardon? If God be the spouse of the soule of man, why do we not loue hym? why be we not desirous to be conuersant with him, and continually to delight in hym? who […] farre in loue with the soule of man, that yf man do but faythfully craue his mercy, pardon, grace, fauour, and assistaunce, he doth louyngly graunt the same, yea he doth preoccupate and prepare our hartes to call on hym, yf we frowardly and wylfully put not awaye and refuse to folowe his holy inspiration, so as, of his only mercie, he […]eaueth no meane to drawe man vnto hym, yf he lyste to applie his owne endeuour: Which yf it folowe not, than doth man turne the vnmeasurable goodnesse of God, so reiected and refused, to the multiplying of his owne synne. And than doth the wonderfull vnkyndenesse and too too muche vnthankefulnesse of man, vnspeakablye set foorth the mercies of God, who wylleth all men to be saued, who restrayneth his grace from no man excepte he harden his owne hart, eyther by presumption, dispayre, or wicked securitie in synne, yea who knocketh and beateth at the dore of our conscience, desireth to enter and dwell with vs, onlye he requireth to be let in, and his habitation prepared for hym: and yet doth he that hymselfe too. For yf we do but admit hym in, he clenseth the house of our soule, yea he hath alredy wasshed and made cleane the same with the bloud of his deare sonne, so as we vse the due meanes to applie the same vnto vs. But the more God seeketh vs, the mor[…] we shunne him, the more he desireth v[…] the lesse we care for hym, the more w[…] neede hym, the lesse we thynke of hym▪ So as he is by our ouergreat vnkyndenesse and wylfulnesse, much more nowe weryed, than when he complayned by the Prophete Esaye of the Israelites, saying: Laboraui sustinens: I am ouer weeryed with bearyng and long sufferyng your sinnefull lyfe and abhominable doynges.¹ And therefore this decaye must needes be the greatest wheresoeuer it happen, as by the want whereof, all the rest consequentlye do folowe of necessitie, and losse of that whiche onelye is to be desyred in this lyfe, whiche is the heauenlye comfort of his diuine inspiration, growyng to manne by the often consideration of the benefites of Christ, incarnate, crucified, and rysen agayne: and not only that, but also the consummation of that ioye and felicitie in heauen neuer to ende. Howe sore this greateste vertue is decayed, and what cause we haue iustly to lament the same, it may wel appeare by this litle treatisse […]ritten in Latin by an Englyshe man, […] Bishop of great learning and maruei […]ous vertue of lyfe, suche one as seemed perfe[…]ly to taste and sauour how sweete and pleasaunt the spirite of GOD is: Who in his worke so profoundely doth penetrate the comfort, ioy, and consolation commyng by true prayer, that any man readyng the same with diligence, may easily perceaue what he loseth that frequenteth not prayer: And so farre instructeth all men, not only to pray, but also so to pray that the[…] lose not the fruit therof, shewyng both howe prayer best pleaseth God, and how it most profiteth our selues. And in that his tyme, more than fourtie yeres past, lamented, mooned, yea cryed out vppon the decaye of prayer & contemplation, and the want of the true vse therof in all degrees, and the lousse lyfe of men, and vntowardnesse to praye, whiche be so frayle, so weake, so peruerse of nature, so beset with daylye enemies, so prone to the worst, that they ought asmuch as might be, continually to praye, continually to arme them selfe with strength and constancie of the grace of God, to fight with theyr enemies, synne, the deuyll, the worlde, and the fleshe, weepeth vppon the euyll examples of Byshoppes, Priestes, and Cleargie, who shoulde moue other by the perfection of theyr life, wayeth the hardnesse of our hartes, that beyng well taught, lyste not to folowe the same, complayneth that the world prayeth not, no, nor knoweth what prayer is, nor howe to pray, sheweth how prayer is abolyshed, and the fruite thereof lost, yea by them that do praye, for that eyther their prayer is not pure, and pleasyng God, or els theyr lyfe and workes disagreeing and contrary. But what go I in hande to seeme to expresse the perticularities of that, which he so lyuely, so perfectly, so playnely, and so religiously sheweth and declareth, yea rather the spirite of God, vsyng his pen to publishe his holy wyll, to instructe vs. Only this I haue to saye, that seeyng the same in written hande, as it were, neglected as a thyng of small price, beyng in deede such a worke as the lyke (I beleue) hath not often ben written in that matter, I coulde not satisfie my selfe to see suche a pearle hydden, and such a iewell throwen and cast awaye to obliuion, consideryng first the benefite that maye, and I trust shall, grow to the attentiue reeders therof, and secondly remembryng howe much more neede there is of so holye an instruction and heauenly inuitation to prayer and deuotion at this tyme, than when the same was written. Synce whiche tyme, hath passed almoste one age of mans lyfe, and in this whyle, decaye styll as before, of pitie and vertue, and want of the feare of God, and euyll lyfe wonderfullye increased, as in the which the euyll neighbour of mankynde hath stollen vppon hym, and fyndyng hym negligent, hath sowen cockle and muche euyll seede in the fielde of our soules, and hath in maner pulled vp the rootes of good workes, and the holsome and plentifull fruites of repentaunce, fayth, hope, charitie, almes, and true trust in God. For who in maner, sheweth in lyuyng to feare God? Who is afrayde to offende hym? Who refrayneth to blaspheme his holy name? Who hath conscience to deceaue, yea or to oppresse his neighbour? Who is ashamed to lye and forsweare hym selfe? Who hath compassion to relieue the poore, which this plague of God, and want of his grace, hath increased out of number? Who taketh any payne to please God? Who seketh to subdue his fleshe to the spirite, sensualitie to reason, reason to fayth, and fayth to the seruice of GOD? Yea who layeth not the brydell of libertie at length freelye and without staye to folowe synne, and to multiplie the wrath of GOD? Who […]aunteth prayer? Yea who shunneth and contemneth it not? Who preferreth the house of prayer, before a dysyng house? Yea, fynde we not mo in thone than in th'other? Subiectes rebell agaynst theyr Prince and God his annoynted, chyldren disobey theyr parentes, contemne them, and laugh them to scorne, seruauntes litle esteeme theyr maisters, labourers seeke, and greedyly folow ydlenesse, artificers vntrueth and too extreme falsehood in theyr workes. All sortes of men lust after theyr ease, excesse, and vnrulye libertie, no man seketh to mortifie hym selfe, to ouercome his owne frowarde wyll. And the cause of all this, is this wonderfull decaye of prayer, by the vse wherof, we myght at the last delyght in the familiaritie with God, and godlye thynges, berauyshed with the loue therof, and so consequentlye growe to the mislykyng and hate of synne, whiche is onlye wrought by the loue of vertue, whiche is only obteyned by true and effectuall prayer, which dryueth away the hauntyng of those enormities aforesayde, whiche prouoke the wrath of God vppon the worlde. And who can thynke that God wyll longe suffer this alienation of our selues from hym? Yea this contempte of hym, this blasphemie agaynst his holye wyll, and name? Who ought not hourely to loke for his visitation, and heauy hande of iustice? Who may not ryghtly saye to the world nowe, lyke as Ionas the Prophet sayde vnto the Niniuites: Ad huc quadraginta dies & mundus subuertetur: There be yet fourtie dayes, & the worlde shalbe destroyed. Whiche saying me thinketh is fully taught to any that shal reade this work, who sheweth the fault, the cause of the wrath of God, and the meane to remedie the same, and with the Prophete calleth to repentaunce, lyuely fayth, feruent charitie, effectuall prayer to appease his indignation, hate of our selues, and loue of God only, dispysyng the worlde, and longyng to be with hym. Reade therfore this booke, & reade it with iugement, with deliberation, with a deepe consideration thereof, and with a desire and purpose to be refourmed, make thy hart meete, and prepare it to receaue fruite of this godly instruction, let thy hart iudge of that thine eye seeth, and thy soule reioyce in that thy tongue pronounceth. Reade it in deede, and not superficially ouerloke it: And than surely I can not thynke that he that so doth, can be defrauded of the fruite of his labour, or not obteyne his desired ende therof: Whiche I hartylye wyshe to happen to euery reader hereof, whereby God maye be feared, loued, glorified, and esteemed by them, & they thereby rauished, and inflamed with the ryght vnspeakable loue of hym, sweetenesse of his holy spirite, admiration of his omnipotencie, truste of mercye, and ioyfull expectation of his euerlastynge kyngdome, whiche he hath prepared for all those that walke in his wayes, obserue his lawes, be stedfast in faith, thirst after ryghteousnes, thynke long to be with hym, and by true, and faythfull prayer, seeke to be directed in the pylgrimage of this wyldernesse, by the continuall guydyng of his holye spirite: To whom be prayse for euer and euer. Amen.