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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