A Letter Sent to a Gentleman of Authority

Extract

touching his Following the World, and Dissembling in Religion against his Conscience and Knowledge

Right worshipfull: Although your worldly dignity, and the just opinion of your great wisedome, compared with my contraries, might feare me from writing unto you in this bold manner, yet many things moved me, especially my charity towardes you, to whome I am behoulding for causes which you may remember, and my duty towardes God, whose good motion I hope it was that I should tell you rather friendly then finely, plainely then curiously, that which your selfe doe know much better, but have not cause so well to remember: Because, that vexation doth give understanding and man when he was in honour did not understand. Psalm 48. Which difference in estate, maketh that the yonger man for years and more simple for wit and knowledge, may notwithstanding some tyme truely say with the Prophet : Above auncients have / understood, because I have enquired out thy commandments. Psalm 118.

Presupposing then that you are in conscience a Catholike, and seeing that in outward shew you professe the contrary. I am bould to reason familiarly with you, and to demaund : whether you think it lawfull to believe one thing inwardly, and to professe the contrary openly? And how you can avoid these evident Scriptures: With the mouth confession is made to salvation. He that shill deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father, which is in heaven.