Background Image
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  11 / 772 Next Page
Basic version Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 11 / 772 Next Page
Page Background

THE

EPISTLE DnDICA

7ORIP6

Worke in

hand,

which I

haue

now by Gods

affiftance

finned

;but

at

the

fins

(I

confeffe)

I

intended

not

that

it

fhould

come

into

publike view

;

but

onely

(

as

others before me)

propounded

as

the end

of

my

labours

,

the comforting and

railing vp

of

a

moft

faithful!

feruant

of

God,

and my moft

Beare

friend,

who

bath

bound

me

with

many benefits

to the

per-

formance

of

all

Chriftian dudes. But

afterwards

fin-

ding

it to

grow to

fuch

a

volume,

that

it

was

too

great

to

paffe in a

written copie

;

and hoping

that

that

which

was

profitable for

one might bee

be-

neficial!

vnto many, at length

I

refolucd

to

make

my

labours publike

by

committing

them to

the

preffe.

The

principal!

things that

I propounded

to

my

felfe

in

this rreatile are

there

; firft

and

fpeci-

ally

Iendeauourto

comfort thole who

are

affii6ted

in

confcience,in

the fight

and

fenfe

of

their

firmes,

by

offering

vnto

them

certaine afiürance,

that

their

fumes

are

remitted,

and

that

themfelues are

elected

to

eternal!

life, in

the 'late of

grace, reconciled

vnto

God

in

Chrift,and

receiued

into

his

loue

and

fauour.

Secondly, I

labour

to

leade

the Chriftian

in

an

men

courfe,

vnto the hauen of

eternal!

happineffe;

that

hee

may

not

runne

afide,

neither on the right

hand,

and

fo

falling

vpon the

rockes

of

prefumption

make

íhipwracke of

his

foule,

nor

yet

on

the

left

hand,

and

fo

plunge

himfelfe

into the

guile

of

defperation.

Wherein I

haue purpofely and

aduifedly

auoided

their

praäife,

who

fcatter

their confolations

they

know

not

where, to

bee applied they

care

not

by

whom

;

whereof

it

commeth

to

paffe

that

thole

that

are molt

fecure

and prefumptuous arrogate

them,

to whom

they doe

not

appertaine

;

and

thole

that

A4

are