TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE Sir William Cecil

Knight, Baron of Burleygh, Lord High Treasurer of England, Master of the Queen's Majesty's Courts of Wards and Liveries, Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter, and one of her Highness's most honorable Privy Council, continued health, with prosperity and increase of honor.

Your Lordship's great goodness diverse times showed towards me, abiding still fresh in my remembrance, to my no small comfort, calls upon me continually to show some token of thankfulness for the same. For needs I must confess that it hath uttered itself many and sundry ways, and that, (if I may with your Lordship's good leave say as I think,) not without a certain friendly or rather fatherly care of my well-doing, especially in that long continued suit of mine in the Exchequer, where your just favor (I mean in respect of the just case, and not of any desert of mine) procuring me credit and help to the furtherance of my matter, hath been the very maintenance and safety of my right, which else had been trodden underfoot by the over mightiness of mine adversaries. And here it behooveth me also to acknowledge, the upright administration of Justice extended with favor in that so intricate case, both by the Judges and Chancellor, and by all other the Queen's Majesty's officers of that Court. For after many hearings of the matter with great patience and circumspection, and with showing of such records for both parties, as were known or thought to make for the manifesting of the case: at length when the matter could not prove too speedy end by reason of certain difficulties and incidents falling thereinto: about the first entrance of your honor into the office of High Treasurer, it was by consent of the Court put in compromise to such persons as both parties are very well contented with. By means whereof being discharged of my former continual cares, travails, expenses, and troubles, I had the freer liberty to follow this mine accustomed exercise of translating, which me thought was to me a singular benefit. And my rehearsing of these things is not to diminish the thank which I owe to your honor, by interlacing of other men's doings: but to show to how many I am beholden through your goodness, and that I am loath to be unmindful of my duty towards you or them, so far as opportunity may well serve to witness the same.

Now then, to the intent I might the better accomplish this my desire towards your honor, I bethought me of the counsel of the wise Philosopher Seneca in his books of Benefiting, the effect whereof consisteth chiefly in these three points: namely, that the thing which is done or bestowed to utter thankfulness withal, ought to be very good, very durable, and very acceptable to the party that is to receive it. That the two former points are in this work, which I (upon trust of your Lordship's former goodness and accustomed favor) do take upon me to dedicate to your name, and that the third point also shall accompany it: the reasons that persuade me are these. The things that of their own nature tend only to the welfare and benefit of man, must of necessity be very good: and of the things that are good, those are always best, which may redound to the commodity of most persons, and which being once possessed, cannot be taken away against the will of the possessor: Seeing then that the foundation of this work is a parcel of holy scripture, and that (as says Saint Paul) all Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable to teach, to reprove, to amend, and to furnish men with righteousness, that they may be perfect and forward to all good works: inasmuch that it is the power of God tending to the welfare of all that believe, both Jews and Gentiles: and therewithal contains promises not only of this present life, but also of the life to come: it cannot but be of the selfsame nature, property, and operation that the rest of the scriptures are, because (as says Saint Peter) the scripture came not by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost. And hereupon springeth another commendation to the proof of the goodness of this work, that the Author thereof is God the sovereign goodness itself, and not man. To be short, the same reasons may serve also to prove the durableness thereof. For besides that God himself protests that his word shall endure forever, and that the very heavens shall perish before any one jot of his sayings take not effect: inasmuch as this book contains not worldly uncertain and perishing, but heavenly, assured and everlasting benefits: nor things available to few, but profitable to all unless they themselves be to blame: and moreover that God is the Author thereof: it must by all likelihood needs continue with other of the same sort, at leastwise among the godly, not for a day or two, but so long as men shall have need to be edified and strengthened in Christ.

Which thing will appear yet more plainly, if besides these generalities which it hath common with all the residue of holy scripture, we consider the work more peculiarly and nearly in itself, which consisteth of two parts, to wit, of Text, and of exposition of the Text. The substance of the text of this whole Epistle to the Galatians, is this: that when God hath once vouchsafed to enlighten men with the true knowledge of his gospel, it behooveth them to stand steadfast in the truth which they have embraced, & to show by their godly conversation that they be the children of light, so as they neither turn back again as renegates or as swine to the mire, nor be carried too and fro with every blast of doctrine like wavering reeds, or like little children that are soon weary of the things that they have, and fond of every new thing that they see. Hereoutof spring other more particular points, concerning free justification by faith, concerning Christian liberty, concerning the abolishing of Ceremonies, concerning the force and effect of the law, and concerning the pure conversation of Christian life. For the order which the writers of holy Scripture observe well-nigh in all their Preachings and exhortations, is first to lay the foundation of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and afterward to build up the works of charity and true holiness of life, without the which, faith is not only naked, but also dead. Thus much concerning the Text and the contents of the same. The exposition whereof being uttered in Sermons by that learned and godly minister of Christ Master Calvin (whose own doings tending always to the benefit of God's Church, may yield him far more credit than any commendation of mine can do) containeth not any diverse or contrary matter, but the same things laid forth in more ample and plain manner, applied to common capacity, even of such as are of meanest understanding: by means whereof a greater number may reap profit and commodity by them. In respect whereof they be right necessary to be set before our eyes, and to be beaten into our minds at all times, and chiefly in these days, wherein it is to be seen that many, yea, and which is the more pity, too many, being after a sort overglutted with the long continuance of the heavenly Manna, begin to loathe the sweet food of their souls, and to long again after the flesh pots and garlic of Egypt. In so much that some thinking it enough to be bare hearers or idle professed and disputers of the Gospel, without yielding any fruit beseeming their profession, verify the saying of the Prophet Isaiah in honoring God with their lips, whereas their heart is far off from him, and show themselves to be but sowers unto corruption, as says Saint Paul in this present Epistle. Some not professing only, but also glorying in Papistry, the sink of all sin and wickedness, think themselves well apaid that they may be enemies in heart and religion, to God and all godliness and godly men: And othersome being as it were of no religion, and therefore imagining all things to be lawful which they like of, are carried headlong into all manner of looseness by their blind and unbridled affections, and like brute beasts could find in their hearts that all cleanness of mind and body (without which, no man shall ever see God) were so utterly abolished, as the very name of it might never be heard of: whereas in the mean while those few whom the fear of God and the desire of heavenly immortality draws to a more heedful wariness of eschewing the things that may impeach God's glory and the free proceeding of his Gospel, or hinder and offend their neighbor, are in the eyes of some persons not only despised but also blamed: verily as who should say it were a fault to endeavor to be faultless.

Forasmuch therefore as this work (like as all others of the same author) tendeth to the benefit of the Christian common weal, by putting us in remembrance of our duty both to God and man, the continual minding and practicing whereof is the ground of all good order, and the very pathway to perfect felicity: I doubted not but it should be the better accepted of your honor, whose whole care and travail is continually employed to the welfare of this Realm, through the maintenance of sound Religion and the conservation of public tranquility, by the protection and appointment of our most gracious sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth, whom as God hath made the Mother of his Church among us, the comfort of all Christendom, and the very pillar, life, and soul of our English commonwealth: so I beseech him that we and our posterity may long enjoy her blessed reign. To the furtherance of which things I have here presently bestowed (and by God's grace shall not cease hereafter to bestow) my faithful travail, that the wavering sort may in all goodness be confirmed, the weaklings strengthened, the ignorant instructed, the negligent warned, the forward encouraged, the slothful pricked forth, the corrigible amended, and the willful and stubborn sort left utterly without excuse. And so praying to God for the long and prosperous continuance of your good Lordship: and of all other noble Counsellors and men of Honor, by whom God advanceth the glory of his Gospel among us: I refer this labor of mine with all humbleness to your favorable acceptation.

Written at my lodging in the forestreet without Cripplegate the 14th of November, 1574.

Your honor's most humble always to command, Arthur Golding.