A ioyfull continuance of the commemoration of the most prosperous and peaceable reigne of our gratious and deare soueraigne lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God of England, Fraunce and Irelande, Queene, &c. nowe newly enlarged with an exhortation applyed to this present tyme / set foorth this xvii day of Nouember beyng the fyrst day of the xxi yeere of Her Maiesties said reigne, by Edw. Hake ... ; hereunto is added a thankesgiuing of the godly, for Her Maiesties prosperitie hitherto, with an earnest desire of the longe continuance of the same to Gods glory and our comfort.

¶ An Exhortation to all the Queenes Maiesties faythful and obedient Subiects, conside∣ratly to be perused of the same.

MAny are the circumstances, and those moste notable (gentle Reader) which in y^e review of this my smal Pamphlet, haue oft soonès agayne offered them selues to my consideration, in the dutiful re∣membrance of the Quéenes Maiesties most prosperous reigne. And I would to God I were able to expresso some part of that which of so many conuenient wryters hath (hither∣to in a maner altogether) bene omitted, and yet in my simple iudgement, a matter very requisité to be taken in hand by some godly learned, for the prouoking and procuring of ours, and her Maiesties due thankfulnesse vnto that merciful and marueylous God, of and from whose bountifull graces, the same hath onely and wholly procéeded. It was in my mynde to haue continued a yéerely re∣membraunce of the premisses, at suche tyme as I fyrst set foorth this sayd Pamphlet, be∣ing

then the xviif. yéere of her Maiesties reigne: or at the least, to haue continued the same vntil some good wryter had bin know∣en to haue dipped his penne in this kynde of Argument: But (much to my trouble, and litle to my comfort) I haue bene helde backe by other businesses occasioned necessarily, though not profitablic, in y^e vocation where∣in I liue. And the tyme being now instant, wherein these thyngs ought rather to be put foorth, then enterprised and begonne. I am constrayned with griefe of mynde, to leaue vndone that which I haue bene hytherto as desirous to accomplishe, as I am and haue bene willing to enjoy the benefites of so ex∣cellent a gouernement in common with my brethren..

It is not a slight and vulgare thing (my deare brethren and countreymen) that a roy∣all personage shoulde be first afflicted, & then aduaunced: fyrst humbled, and then cralted: fyrst brought downe to the gates of death, and then agayne set vp in the wayes of lyfe, and in the throne of principalitie and rule. This is the order of the Lordes schoole, this is the course of the almightie, and these are the onely wayes of the highest. By whome soeuer hee pleaseth to worke his worke, in

those he expresseth the good tokens of his e∣lection. And hath he not dealt so with our E∣lizabeth? Hath not his hand humbled her as a Ioseph? Hath she not as an Hester bene proscribed, and as a Dauid daungerously af∣flicted, before she coulde sit her downe in the seate of her Soueraintie? Hath not tanquam Ouis touched her hart, before the Scepter of Dauid coulde come to her handes? Or hath the Lord of Hostes led her vp to the glory of Iacob, before she was throwen downe a∣mongst y^e Habitations of Edom? This (bre∣thren) this is not mans worke: nay, this to the wisdome of flesh and blood is vtterly vn∣knowen, & therefore vtterly vnregarded. A Domino factum est istud, et est mirabile in oculis* 1.1 nostris. This (I say) is the Lordes worke, and it is marueylous in our eyes. But what? did the Lord for all this, forget to be faythful to the true séede of Abraham? or left he the soule of poore Ioseph in the prison? Gaue he not to good Hester a Mardocheus? and to his deare Dauid, a Ionathas? And (to speake it playnly) did the Lord leaue our Elizabeth in y^e pawes of the Lyon? or gaue be her ouer a praye vn∣to* 1.2 her enemies? Hath he not rather deliuered her soule from death, her eyes from teares, and her feete from falling? Hath he not bro∣ken

asunder the iawes of the Lyon, reskued her Maiestie from the rage of her aduersa∣ries, & exalted her farre aboue her enemies? Obserua (ergo) innocentem, et attende iustum,* 1.3 quoniam ad extremum erit huic viro pax. And nowe, that all the worlde may knowe this déede to haue bene the Lords deede, loe now, her Maiestie after all these manifolde afflic∣tions, sitting, and hauing many yeres peace∣ablie sitten in the seate of her Kyngdome: hath she now bene vnmyndful of the Lords worke? or hath she all this while forgotten beautifullie to begyn, and gloriously to en∣large the frame and furniture of the Lords house? God graunt that the mercies of the highest may herein be vouchsafed vnto her aboundantly, that consulting with the sin∣cere & best buylders throughout al Israel and Iuda, she may procéede to the full finishyng thereof according to the true platforme and rule prescribed in the worde.

Truely my brethren and Countreymen, if God haue at any time requyred that his mercies should vniuersally be knowen & celebrated of his people, (as no doubt with such sacrifices he is wel pleased): He hath in the Regi∣ment of this our Soueraigne, called for, and exacted a thankefull memoriall of his so memorable and yet vn∣speakeable benefites, not of Prince onely, but of all and euery her highnes Subiects. Looke vpon your peaces Hath there ben like peace with any the nations about you, so firme, so sound, and of such continuance? Haue

either domesticall attempts, or foreyne practises as yet preuailed to the ouerthrow of the same? Hath either am∣bitious desire of Conquest drawen you forth to warres abroad? or vnsatiable desyre of greedy myndes broken asunder or vntwyned your safetie at home? what should I say? Who getteth and enioyeth not? Who encrea∣seth and possesseth not? In whose hands (my brethren) hath the aboundance of ryches as yet bene sayd to be the danger of his lyfe, or the ouerthrowe of his welfare?

Nowe then, if these benefites, be benefites which you delite in: if the continuance of them be comfortable: and the onely instrument hereof, be our deare Soueraigne, Queene Elizabeth: what els doeth wisedome then re∣quire, but that we should wisely foresee to doe the things towards God and her Maiestie that may establishe an happie continuance thereof? And what els doeth thank∣fulnes looke for at our handes, but that there be in vs a readines to accomplish the wyll of the highest, to hym warde in the obediente of his worde: and to her Ma∣iestie warde, in the obedience of her Lawes?

I knowe there are of the faythfull watchmen and good shepheards of this lande, that exceedingly feare the continuaunce of these so glorious benefites: They feare I say, that the vnrecouerable wickednes of the people of this tyme and Nation is so opposed agaynst the great mercifulnesse of our God, that these heaped tranquilities are nothing els but iudgementes fore∣runnyng the approchyng dayes of desolation. I would God therefore, the wayes of English people were once called to accompt, O I woulde to God we coulde once set before vs, on the one side, a single view of these migh∣tie & marueylous things, which the Lord, the Iehouah, hath wrought and brought to passe for our Prince and vs: and on the other side, what we haue done, or rather what (like wretches) we haue left vndone of that which mere duetie in common thankefulnes hath requyred at our handes. Touching the one, besides the miraculous preseruation of our Prince, euen in those dayes wherein

Antichrists tyrannie swylled vp the blood of Saintes, sparyng neither sexe, age, condition nor degree: It is al∣so set farre beyonde the reache and reason of man, that her Maiestie beyng euer since placed, as it were in a Goshen, enuironed about with Egyptians, malitious, aspyring & blooddy: her royal person, her Religion and Peace should neuertheles styl be preserued from the im∣peachments of those aduersaries, & that in such degree, as y^e enemies them selues haue bene rather tyred in their practises, then the one or other of these benefites weak∣ned by theyr attemptes. The Rebellion of Absolon and his complices hath bene suppressed at home. The tray∣terous counsailes of Achitophel haue bene confounded both abroad and at home. Dauid hath had an Husay: yea, the annoynted our Elizabeth hath had and alwayes shall haue a Sobi, a Machir and a Berselai, which wyl laye both goods and lyues at her feete. As for the thun∣dring rage and terrours of Antichrist and his Champi∣ons, what better or greater issue hath there ben of them, then of the crackling of thornes flaming vnder a potte? And touchyng the Enchauntments of Egypt, (some cursed practisers whereof haue bene lately surprised) the true myracles of Moses and Aaron haue from tyme to tyme stil deuoured them. Briefly, the enemies haue wearyed them selues in the wayes of trecherie & trea∣son, and haue not yet preuayled: They haue grasped at vnhappie conquests, and haue bene alwayes yet con∣founded: their glory hath bene no better yet then the glory of grasse vpon the house toppe, whereof the wyc∣ked reapers neuer hytherto fylled their handes, muche lesse haue layd vp fruits thereof in their impious barnes. O that men would therefore prayse the Lord* 1.4 for his goodnes, & declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of men: That they would exalt him also in the congregati∣on of the people, and loue him in the Seate of the Elders.

Now, touching the other part, what hath procéeded from vs towards our God: as the Argument thereof more fitly apperteyneth to be handled by men of greater gyftes: so, the time beyng nowe short and the matter large (the Printer also enfourming me that euery Page hath his proportion) I must for this tyme giue ouer all further discourse thereof: These thinges are onely added to my former small tranayles that I might thereby the better procure a due and true Commemoration of the matter which we nowe celebrate. The God of glory & peace, who hath created, redéemed and continually kept vs vnder the shadowe of his merci∣full protection, bring to passe that those his mercies may worke the spéedy amendement of our lyues, to the establishing of our peace, and to the euerlastyng honour of his name.

Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 118.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 116.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 37. 37
• * 1.4

  Psal. 107.