The vnperfectnesse of this booke, and such things in the fame as be culled and picked out of that popishe dunghill, the Masse booke, with the contents therein that be agaynst the worde of God, shall appeare I am sure in your seuerall reasons, for it is not sufficient for you, barely to saye so, without witte, learning, or reason.
This you know right wel, that in so saying you make the Papists* 1.1 leape for ioye, bicause they haue gotten suche companions to assaulte this booke, whylest they rest them, & lye as it were in sleepe. O that the wyse men of this realme (suche I meane as be in authoritie) see not this Popishe practise, and seeke not with more earnestnesse to preuent it. Will ye suffer the Papists to gather strength, and to mul∣tiplie, by tollerating such Libellers, vnder the pretēce of reformatiō, to discredite so muche as lyeth in them, yea to ouerthrow the whole state, and substance of religion in this Churche? Bee not secure, but watche, and remember the beginning and encrease of the Ana∣baptistes of late in Germanie, whiche I haue described in my Pre∣face to this booke.
You saye, that you can not but much maruell at the craftie wilynesse of those men, whose partes it had beene first to haue proued eache and euery content therin to be agrea∣ble to Gods word. &c. Nay surely, but it were your parts rather to proue* 1.2 that there is something therein contrarie or not agreable to Gods worde. For such as be learned, and knowe the manner of reasoning say, that the Opponent must proue or improue, and not the answe∣rer. They stande to the defense and mayntenance of the booke: you seeke to ouerthrowe it: it is your partes therfore to iustifie your as∣sertions, by reasons and arguments.