Gods Three Arrows, Dedication 2 – Dedication 3
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, ROBERT, Lord RICH, Baron of LEEZ, and Earle of WARWICK. AND, TO THE RIGHT Honourable, the Counteſſe of WARWICK, His moſt worthy Conſort. All Honour that may make to their true Happineſſe. Right Honourable,
THE Divine Providence (whereby all things are wiſely ordered) hath by a moſt ſacred, neare, firme, and inviolable band knit you two together, and made you one. Moſt meet it is therefore that the like honour be done, and the like reſpect teſtified to the one as to the other: eſpecially where there is juſt cauſe of an anſwerable reſpect: as the Author of this Treatiſe here dedicated to your Honours, hath for the dedication thereof to you both. For,
SIR,
THis Treatiſe treateth of Warre. Your Lordſhip is knowne to be a Man of Warre. It ſetteth out Ioſhua, a Generall of an undaunted ſpirit. Your ſpirit hath been proved to be ſuch an one. It ſheweth how Moſes, when he tarried at home, was very ſollicitous for his countrimen in the field. And is not ſuch your care? VponUpon mention made of Moſes, there commeth to my mind this great commendation (He is faithfull in all my houſe) given to him by God himſelf. Faithful he was in his own obſervation of al Gods ordināces which belonged to him. Who of ſo eminēt a place, more eminent then your Honour herin? Faithful he was alſo in deputing to the Lords ſervice men fit for their function. The abundance of able and faitDhfull Miniſters in Eſſex, and other places where the Patronage of Church-livings appertaineth to yr Honour, is the ſeaie of your Faithfulnes in this reſpect. The greater is the glory of this kind of piety, becauſe therin you do patriſſare, tread in the ſteps of your worthy Father of bleſſed memory. What infant could not be copious in ſetting out the dignity of this piety, whereby God is ſo much honoured, his Church edified, many distreſſed conſciences comforted, and millions of ſoules ſaved. There is yet further a more particular bond of relation which bindeth me in perſon and paines to yeeld all homage unto yr Honour, that is, the ſmall inheritance I hold within your Lordſhips Royalty at Hadly in Eſſex. Hereto I might adde the benefit of your Predeceſſours charity on the Free-Schoole at Felſted in Eſſex, where I was trained up three yeares together: and the continuall favours which from your youth you have ſhewed to me, your ſelfe as well as I being trained up at Eaton, and thence comming to Cambridge.
MADAM,
THere are in this Treatiſe many points concerning Devotion: not unfit for a devout Lady: ſuch an elect Lady as S. Iohn dedicated his Second Epiſtle unto: a Lady whom all that knew the truth loved in the truth, and for the truths ſake: a Lady whoſe children walked in the truth: an evidence that the Lady who loved the truth her ſelfe, was carefull to communicate that to her beloved children, which ſhe had found to be ſweet and comfortable to her own ſoule. And this for the Mothers honor doth the Apoſtle there mention. I that have long knowne your Honour (even from the child-hood of your now well grown daughters, two worthy Ladies, and beene acquainted, as with your religious care in their good education, ſo with your owne pious courſe of life, wherin I make no queſtion but that ſtill you continue) could not omit ſo faire an opportunity of teſtifying that duty which I owe you. Hereby that which is made publique for the view of all, is in ſpeciall dedicated to your Honour, that having a particular intereſt therein, you may be more diligent in peruſing it. The principall points herein handled, which may beſt whet on your pious devotion, concerne Prayer, the Manner of performing that Heavenly duty, the Power and Efficacy thereof, when it is made in faith, and the benefit of perſevering therein, at leaſt ſo long as juſt occaſion giveth occaſion of perſisting without fainting. Theſe and other like points are handled in this Treatiſe, which may be (as I ſuppoſe) uſefull to your devout mind.
By theſe and many other enducements hath he beene emboldened to tender this ſmall evidence of much reſpect to your Honours, who, as he humbly craveth a gracious acceptance, ſo he faithfully promiſeth to continue at the Throne of Grace
Your Honours Sollicitour, WILLIAM GOVGE.
TO THE TRVLY NOBLE, AND MOST WORTHY OF ALL HONOUR, SIR NATHANAEL RICHE foreign. SIR,
YOur owne Worth, The publike good Service which you have done to this State, The true Zeale which to the Honour of God, and Good of his Church you have on all occaſions manifeſted, do all challenge all the honour that can be done to a man of ſuch deſert. The ancient acquaintance which hath beene even from your childhood betwixt you and me, The entire familiarity that was betwixt us while we were Students in Cambridge, The Continuance thereof by mutuall Latine Letters about Scholaſticall diſputes, (Bono enim literarum eadem ferè abſentes, quae ſi coram eſſemus conſequimur) when we Cic Epiſt. Famil.were parted, And finally, the many favours which in this time of acquaintance you have ſhewed me, doe, in ſpeciall require of mee all gratefull remembrance. For, foreign. Wherefore having here an opportunity of giving publique teſtimony of the high eſteeme I have of you, and of the reverend reſpect I beare to you, I doe moſt willingly take it. cforeign. Theoc. in Ait.It was the commendation of the golden age, that a friend would testifie all the reſpect he could to his friend. True it is, that in regard of your noble birth, your eminent dignity, your excellent endowments, there is betwixt us (to uſe the dAriſt. Ethic. Lib. 5.Philoſophers phraſe) foreign. But yet (as another ePlat lib. de Leg 6.Philoſopher ſaith, foreign. His Aphoriſme may fitly be applyed to friends, who though in ſundry reſpects they be unequall, yet unequall things to them become equall. To this tends that which Saint Hier. Comment. in Mic 7Hierom hath taken from the Oratour, Amicitia pares aut accipit, aut facit. In confidence of your true friendly minde to mee, I have made bold to teſtifie mine to you, and that by prefixing your noble name before this Sermon of The Extent of Gods Providence. In regard of the ſmalneſſe of it, it is indeed but as a little Pamphlet, and (as here publiſhed) but an Appendix to a larger Treatiſe; Yet a Treatiſe dedicated to your right honourable Kinſeman, the Earle of Warwick: and in that reſpect I ſuppoſe it may be the better taken. The manner of ſetting out that divine matter of Gods Providence, is according to my accuſtomed manner, very plaine. But I remember a Proverbiall ſpeech in uſe among the Iewes, noted by Druſius that great Hebrician, to bee Ioh Druſ Sent, vet. Sapient.among the Aphoriſmes of loſes the ſonne of Iudas (which, I am perſwaded, you alſo have read) foreign Ne reſpice cantha rum, ſed id quod in co eſt. The occaſion of this Sermon (which was a Downefall of Papiſts too audaciouſly gathered together to heare a Ieſuited Prieſt preach) is remarkable. The like (I ſuppoſe) hath not in our dayes beene heard of. Remembrances of divine Iudgements are uſefull to Gods Church as well as Memorials of his Mercies. To this purpoſe that Adage which the fore-mentioned Druſius attributeth to Simeon the ſonne of Gamaliel, Ioh Druſloc. citat.is not impertinent. It is this foreign foreign Mundus conſiſtit per veritatem, per judicium, & per pacem. I ſuppoſe he under ſtandeth by judgement, as mens juſt and equall dealing one with another, ſo likewiſe Gods juſt dealing with children of men, both in rewarding the pious and righteous, and alſo in revenging the impious and unrighteous. Read, Iudge, Favour
Veſterrimum, Veterrimum foreign, WILLIAM GOVGE.