To the Reader. t Firfi, thou haft here but an Epitome and abridgement of longer difcourfes;for the points ofDo5rine were largely, fdlhav . ed and furnifhed in my Sermons, wbich in this Dialogue are contrasted. Wherein if you meet with fame tautologies and fuperfluities,or with dijlocations,fome things not fet in the right place,or claudications and defeat ; impute it 1 pray thee to the multitude of bu f nefes, being three times at leaf every week in the publickufe of my Minìflry, wbilfi I did perufe and prepare this to the Pref fe. 2 Whereas fome DoHrines are but lightly touched and left bare without any amplification, it is either becaufe they were more obvious and eafìe; or elfe are enlarged in fogne part of the Boobs, or becaufe the volume would have fwolne too much, if I had dilated all alike, Look for tbefe tearmes Coherence, Scope, Sucn ,Parts,Enterpretation,Do&rines, &c. but fometime poinm ted in the Margcnt, yet mofily noted in the body o(the Book, as will be ofany heedful! Reader eafily obferved. 3 Howfoever this whole Book /eem, and indeed is bigger then at farfi was thought of, (the Epìfile being exceeding rich in Doarines, whereofthou halt fcarce the gleanings,) yet the par- ticular Dialogues,will be deemed rather too compendious ; Mat. tern being rather pointed at with the finger, then explicated to the full; not fo much the truth ffioken out, as an hint given what might be fJoken, leaving good grounds of Meditation to fuck as have the rift and art ofMeditating. q. Thefe things were preached in a popular Auditory (for the molt part) where care was had to utter high things, in homely plain words ; therefore the learned are to bear with it, if-they alwayes finde net the fublimity ofthefiile, to anfwer the majefly of the ¡natter.] had rather ffieak five words to edification,then a thoufand to vain ofientation. And becaufe I did not enjoy the con flitution of body in equal! tenour, during the handling of this E'pifile, the Weader therefore need not look for equall ex.. anne f fe o f [file and Eiaf e, in every part of this Book 5 d bad a care to accommodate my Pelf, as for manner, fo for matter to my Auditory, and in that regard bave preffed fore points!
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