The Golden Scepter Held Forth to the Humble, Frontispiece – Dedication
THE GOLDEN SCEPTER. with - The Churches Marriage, And THE CHURCHES CARRIAGE In three Treatissis. BY The late Learned Divine, IOHN PRESTON. Dr. in D. & Chap: in Ordinary to his Matie. Mr. of Emmanuell Colledge in Cambridge. And sometime Preacher of Lincolnes Inne.
London. Printed by R. Badger, for N. Bourne A. Boler. & R. Harford. sould at ye Royall Exchange. & at ye Marigold in Paules Chu: yard. & at ye Bible in Queens head Alley, in Pater Noster Row. 1639
THE GOLDEN SCEPTER held forth to the humble. VVITH THE CHVRCHES DIGNITIE by her Marriage. AND THE CHVRCHES DVTIE in her Carriage. In three Treatises. The former delivered in sundry Sermons in Cambridge, for the weekely Fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolnes Inne. By the late learned and reverend Divine, IOHN PRESTON, Dr. in Divinity, Chaplaine in Ordinary to His Majesty, Mr. of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and somtime Preacher at Lincolnes Inne.
PSALM. 45 6. Thy throne O GOD is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdome is a right scepter
IER. 3. 14. Returne O back-sliding children, for I am married unto you.
HOS. 2. 7. I will goe and returne unto my first husband for then it was better with me than now.
LON…ON, Printed by R. Badger for N Bourne at the Royall Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt BIBLE in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster Row, and by F. Eglesfield at the MARIGOLD in PAULS Church-yard. 1638.
TO THE TRVLY VERTVOVS AND RELIGIOVS Gentleman, RICHARD KNIGHTLEY, Esquire.
SIR,
IT hath beene our custome hitherto, who were deputed by the Author to this service, to inscribe or dedicate the severall tractates wee have put forth, to some or other of his speciall friends, as proofs of our fidelity, in discharging of the trust reposed in us, and speciall emblemes of the Authours great abilities. For if in every triviall and small Epistle, a man do exarare animam, imprint upon the paper some peeces of his soule, he doth it much more doubtlesse in his studied exercises, wherein he cannot but conceive his memory may live, and some part of himselfe be kept alive, and sweet to all posterity.
If he could say, non omnis moriar, because Horat.he was a Poet, and think his Poem perennius aere, a monument that time it selfe would not be able to divoure: how much more may he say it that drawes himselfe unto the life in an immortall Dye, and writes such characters as are not subject to decay and perish? For all flesh is grasse, and all the glory of man as the flower of grasse: the grasse withereth, and the flower falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever: and this is the word, which by the Gospell is preached unto you, 1 Pet. 1. 24, 25.
Seeing therefore it hath pleased God to preserve these peeces yet alive, and after long deferring and desiring, to produce and bring them forth to publike view; we have thought good, in a prime and speciall manner to entitle you unto them, and to send them out unto the world under the covert and shadow of your name.
For seeing it pleased the Authour to choose your habitation, wherein to put off and lay up his (then) decaying and declining body, why should it not bee proper and convenient, to send these living and surviving peeces of his soule, for to attend it? considering especially, how much his body heretofore had waited on his soule, which otherwise, in humane probabilitie, might still have beene alive.
Neither is there any doubt, but these vigorous and usefull breathings of his spirit, wil find accesse and entertainment, where his languid, and at last, his breathlesse body did. Especially these which may more properly be counted his, than any thing that hitherto hath seene the light, and this wee dare be bold to say for these, that none of them did more expresse the Authour to the life.
Those that did either know him in his life time, or since have much and frequently perused his writings, shall find these three things every where occurring.
The foulenesse of sinne, the freenesse of grace, and the fulnesse of duty, which in other peeces onelyonly scattered, and sparkling here and there, are here collected under proper heads, and handled so professedly and clearely, as nothing more concerning them can be desired.
In the first are the danger and deformity of sin, driving the spouse to sad and low expressions of her selfe, as those virgins were commanded, Deut. 21. 11, 12, 13. Even to shave her head, and pare her nailes, and bewaile her father and her mother, that is, her naturall and inbred evils and corruptions.
In the second, is the glorious freenesse of the grace of Christ, receiving this dejected and humbled captive unto favour, and, with that great King, Hest. 5. 2. reaching forth the Golden Scepter of his love and mercy to her, not onelyonly to the pardon and forgivenesse of all her sin, but intitling also of her unto all things, for all things are hers, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prosent, or things to come, all are hers, because she is Christs, 1 Cor. 3. 21, 22.
In the third, the fulnesse of her duty is prest upon her, for, the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, doth no sooner appeare to any man, but it teacheth to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, Tit. 2. 11, 12. that as before Ahasuerus had the virgins purified that were to approach his bed, with various and costly powders and perfumes, Hest. 2. 12, &c. so Christ, when once the soule is faithfully espoused unto him, perfumes and washes her in his most precious bloud, and beautifies her with variety of graces, that he may present her to himselfe a glorious Spouse, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she should be holy, and without blame, Eph. 5. 27.
And now what rests, but that these Treatises crave shadow & protection from you, nay owne you for their Patron? Doth not the low and humble posture of your mind intitle you unto the first? your high opinion of free grace, unto the second? and your holy and spotlesse carriage, to the third? Having so just a title (besides other ingagements) by this threefold clayme, 'tis but justice to call your name upon it; and, by your acceptance of it, you shall shew friendship to this Posthume, and especially oblige
Your already much obliged, and ingaged,
THOMAS GOODVVIN.
THOMAS BALL.