A faithful admonition of a certeyne true pastor and prophete sent vnto the Germanes at such a time as certain great princes went about to bryng alienes into Germany, [and] to restore the papacy; the kingdom of Antichrist. [Et]c Now tra[n]slated into English for a like admonicion vnto all true Englyshe harts; wherby they may learn and know how to consider [and] receiue the procedinges of the English magistrates and bishops. With a preface of M. Philip Melancthon. ...

❧The Preface of the Translator.

¶Eusebius Pamphilus, the Trans∣lator of thys folowyng treatise, vnto the Christen Reader.

THe grace & merci of our heauē∣lye father, with the true know∣ledge of his sōne Iesus Christ. which the diuel and his mem∣bers now labour with toth and naile▪ to blemish and subuert thorow Anti∣christ the Pope and his generatiō, be dayly multiplied & confyrmed in the▪ most Christē Reader. This folowyng treatyse, as it was first wrytten of as worthye Prophet as hath bene since the Apostles time, for a warning vnto his deare countrye men: Euen so the state of m•• natural countrye of Eng∣lād, ouer which God threatneth now his terrible plages, stāding in the like daunger, I thought that my naturall duty towards my countrey required so muche seruice of me as to translate the same into the Englishe tong, if pa∣raduenture God wyll woorke in the harts of the Readers therof by folow¦ing

the councell ministred therein, to preuent that subuersion & extreme in∣conuenience which at this present hā∣geth ouer their hea••es. And thoughe the Papistes shal paraduēture frown and fume therat; I care not much ther¦fore, for seing the diuel hath so bewit∣ched thē, that they care not what de∣struction they worke towardes theyr coūtrey, so that theyr kingdome may florish againe, I am wel assured y^t no∣thing proceding of the spirit of God, can content or please thē. And to say y^e truth, for as much as they defyle thē selues with idolatry, supersticiō, false religiō, and with persecuting of y^e true professors of the Gospel, they are not worthy that am good thing shuld de∣lite or content thē, o•• that any godlye aduertisemēt should synke into their heads. But such as haue the true fear of God in their hartes, let them take it as a profitable admonitiō vnto thē, with thankes geuing vnto almighty God, that he hath styrred vp such in∣strumentes indued with suche a grace & spirit, wherby they may be warned

& aduertised how to auoide suche im∣minent dangers as their sinnes & vn∣thankfulnes haue not only worthely deserued, but also in maner, broughte vpon theyr neckes. If such warnings as haue proceded of the like spirite as this present aduertismēt was writtē▪ had bene regarded in time, paraduen∣ture God would haue spared vs our late Iosias, noble king Edward of fa∣mous memori, a litle longer. O Eng∣land, England, that thy sins, vnthāk∣fulnes & security wer such y^t they pro∣uoked God to take from thee such a prince thorow whō thou mightest so quietly and religiously haue bene go∣uerned, & to send ••he such now as go about to bring the in thraldom & sub∣iection vnto Alienes, & to conquer the with tyranny, & seduce the with false religion. O England, Englande, thy Nobles were preached vnto, and told plainly inough by Gods prophetes, that Gods wrath was at hand, if thei wold not redres their enormities, but they coulde not be hard, yea those to whō they preached made a mocke an••

a iest at theyr earnest crieng & calling vpon thē, asking them who made thē so much of Gods coūcel. It wold ne∣uer sink into their heades that God would so dea••e with thē, as the Prea∣chers ou•• of the spirit of God threa∣tened thē. They thought paraduēture that it was inough for th•• to pretend Gods true religion, howe litle soeuer they framed theyr lyues thereafter. But god hath now mete ••••wel taught some of thē the price of pretensed reli∣gion, euen as he taught the Iewes in the old Testamēt, how litle he regar∣ded theyr pretēse of relygion, crieng: The Temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, & shewing in theyr lyues nothing but dissolutenes, securiti, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉. God graūt that the pen∣aūce which they that be latelye taken away, haue felte for theyr contempt & dissembling with God, may be an oc∣casiō to those that are yet left behinde to consider with thēselues, & to cal to remēbraūce how good God is yet vn¦to them, to cal thē still to the crediting of the godlye Preachers doctryne (I

meane not of y^e Papists, Antichristes messengers which now fil al Pulpits ful, with most shameful lies & most de¦testable blasphemies) seing God hath shewed in some of thē the ensamples of such punishmentes as they told thē before of. Which is a most infallyble token that they were Gods true pro∣phetes, & that it was his true religion whiche they preached. And therefore hath God taken some of them away, that the punishment of them, myght be a warning vnto the rest, to repent theyr negligence and contempt of his word, when they had it truly & fayth∣fullye preached vnto them, & to ende∣uour them selues to beware hereafter how they contemne Gods worde at the mouth of his Preachers and pro∣phets againe: least if they neglect this further warning, more then theyr fe∣lowes had, God may gyue them also a further and a sharper penaūce. This should my Lordes and the Nobles do wherby the true feare of God myght appeare to be in theyr hartes, and not to fal from contempt of Gods holy

word to the vtter renouncing and de∣nieng of it, and to seme to feare mor•• a weake creature (as Peter dyd the Girle) then the mighty God, whych hath the hartes of al creatures in hys handes. Truly, trulye, thys is not the way to pacify Gods wrath, for to de∣nie his true religion, & to cōsent to ab∣hominable idolatri, but rather to kin∣dle it more feruentlye agaynst vs. Ye haue paraduenture policies, fetches & diuises in your heades, but take hede least they deceyue you. Thynke not y^e god is boūd to your policies & drifts. I neuer sawe, nor heard yet that euer any policie or fetche against the wil of God, came to any good ende & effect at length. As I could rehearse manye examples euen in our time.

Thus much be spoken to y^e Nobles for theyr aduertisment: whose insolen∣cy & supine dissolutenes without dout hath bene a greate cause of this plage that is now come vpon vs. Notwith∣standing I meane not therby to clear and excuse the inferior or meane sorte▪ as though theyr part wer not therin

also. How vnthankful haue they ben•• also in receiuing, & how slacke in folo∣wing the earnest aduertismentes that were daily geuen them. I meane not onelye of the blinde Papistes whych waited and gaped daily for the resto∣ring of their wicked Masse, and other damnable idolatry (wherwith the di∣uell hath nowe fylled theyr mouthes ful) thinking that al shoulde be wel, if they myght once haue that agayne. Now they may se what it hath brou••ght, & what it is like to bryng, name••ly the subuersion of the whole state of the realme, the ouerronnyng thereof with a straunge nacion and such a na∣cion as is the most vyle and godless•• nacion vpon earthe, the vtter destru••∣tion of them selues and of theyr poste∣rity for euer. Let thē now make much of papistry that list, they se what fru••∣tes it hath brought with it, and wha•• it is lyke to bryng more, if they wyl•• nedes haue it. I meane not (I sai) on••ly of them, but euē also of those which haue knowen and professed Gods re∣ligion. That the same may wel be said

onto vs al, & to the whole Realme ge∣nerally, which Christ spake vnto Ie∣••usalē in the .xix. of Luke, that all these plages are come vpon vs because we did not acknowledge the time of oure visitacion. Let vs al therfore repēt our former negligence. Let vs all amende ••ur former fautes, and also let vs al be true folowers of the Gospel in dede, as we haue long bene professors ther∣of in word, and thā doutles God shal ceasse and withdraw his plage wher∣with he had minded to scourge ••s, he shal driue the Papists and the alienes (which they go about to bryng in, to maintaine theyr kingdom, & to make them selues strong against God) out of our country, that wher thei sought but one way to come in, they shal seke ••en to flye out of it againe. Let vs not contemne such warnings and admo∣nicions as this conceiued in the trea∣tise folowynge. And speaciallye let no man misconstrue it, but read it wyth iudgement as an instruction not to styrre any man to vnlawful rebellion (as I dout not but the Papistes gods

sworne aduersaries wil be readye to say, wher as they and no other are the authors of al mischiefe, as may most manifestlye appeare to any that hath but halfe his right wit) but only as an aduertisment that no mā minister ani aide or obedience to such Tirannes as bend thē selues against God and hys word, and to the subuersiō of their na∣tural coūtrey. In which case it is not only vnlawful to obey them or in any wise to consent vnto thē, but also most lawful to stand in the defence of gods religion, and of the lawdable & aunci∣ent state of theyr coūtry, against such vncircumcised Tyrānes (they shal ne∣uer be called Magistrates of me, tyll they shew them selues worthy of that name) as go about such diuelish enter∣prises. The God of heauen wyth hys mighty hand confound them.

Thus hast thou most gentle reder, both the scope of this admonitiō, and also partlye the occasion that moued me to translate it. Put now thy ende∣uour (if thou be a true Christian, and hast any true natural loue to thy coū∣trey,

to thi self or to thi posteriti) y^t it be neither of y^e fyrst author writtē, nor of me translated in vaine. And herewith let my yonker Papistes which nowe are in theyr ruffe, triumphe aboue the Moone, crieng: Crucifige vpon y^e gos∣pel, and the poore professours therof▪ take their aduertisment also, that whē God hath vsed them as his scourge & rod to that that hys diuine councell hath determined, than can he find thē out wel inough, and giue them theyr penaunce, from the which their masse idol (make they neuer so muche of it) shal as litle saue and deliuer them, as Baal saued the wicked false Priestes and other that worshypped hym and tooke hym for theyr God.

God be merciful to hys Church and flocke of England, & de∣liuer the same from the vi¦olence of vnmerciful Tyraūtes, & vn∣gracous pa∣pistes.

Notes

• Nay, vn∣tyll they haue a more lau∣ful cōmis∣sion.