- The E ,p 1 s T L E worke niight be publike. your n~condwas for the 'Wor{e it felfe, that it might con)t forth worthy the ul51thor; which could not be,ifit came not forth as he left it. Inpurfuance of thefe two, we have brought the worke to Iighr,and we have done it with care and fidelity ; for as the Sermons were prea~ ched,fo are theypu6lijhed. When hepreachedthen), they had the generall appi·o bation oftheCourt, andtheymade himfa~ mous for making them.No\v they areprinted,we hope they will have agenerallliking oftheChurch, and inlarge andin~ deare his name, to them that knewnot him. VVe Imow there is a great prejudice attends the after~ printing ofdeadmens 'Jiior~s. For the living maymake the dead fpeake as they will, and as the dead would not fpeak, did they live. And many worthy lfuthors in allprofefsions, l1ave had fuch 'unfutable peeces fl:itched to theic former works, as make them fpeake contrary to themfelves, .and to their known judgementwhile they lived..As ifthey had feen fome vijionafter deathiocro/Jeor recalltheirjudgementin·their life. VVe would be loth to fuffer under the fufpiti on ofthis. And therfore in a fu11 obedience to 'Your Majefties Command, ;~s we have printed all that we could find perfeCl:,and worthy l1is J\(ame: fo have we not added or detracted in the leaft, to -alter or divert hisfinfe. Thatfo the worke may not only be his, but as himfelfmade it: And thehonourTour ~ajejlies, (hat fo carefully commanded it : .And the faithfulne!Je ours in our obedience to 'Your ~ajeflie, and our love to'his memory. .And nowwill 'Your Mqjeftiegracioufly be pieafed to give us leave, to commend this \vork to 'YourProteflion, which would have needednone,hadnotyour .i'IJajeftiecommanded .it to bepuhlik: For,publif<.,_~Jiew is as great a fear eh as many eys ,can make. Andmany eyes can fee what two cannot,be they never fo good. And amongmany eyes,fome will ever looke; ~quintupon worth,andmaligne th~t which they cannot e~ quaiL And if ever any mans patrence and temper could prevent thisevi/l8ye, we hope his may:And yet,evenwhilfl: we •
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=