The Description of Fleshly Lusts, Title page – Dedication
THE DESCRIPTION OF FLESHLY LVSTS.
OR A PROFITABLE AND FRVITFVLL SERMON VponUpon the firſt Epiſtle of Saint Peter, Chap. 2. verſ. 11.12. Preached and Penned by that famous, learned, iudicious, Orthodoxall, holy, wiſe, and skilfull Preacher and ſervant of God, now deceaſed, and with his God triumphing in Heaven, IOHN RANDALL, Batchelour of Divinitie, Paſtour of St Andrewes Hubbart in little Eaſt-cheape LONDON, Sometimes Fellow of Lincolne Colledge in OXFORD.
And now publiſhed, to the glory of God, the edification of his Church, and the honourable Memoriall of the Author, by WILLIAM HOLBROOKE, Preacher of the Word of God in the Church aforeſaid.
LONDON Printed by I. D. for Nathaniel Newbery and William Sheffard, and are to be ſold at their Shops in Popes-head Alley. 1622.
TO THE VVORTHY AND TRVLY RELIGIOVS LADY, THE LADY WELD, ALL BLESSINGS internall, and externall, ſpirituall and bodily in this life, and eternall Glory in the world to come, be multiplied.
WORTHY LADY,
IT is the promiſe and worde of the Almighty,1 Sam. 2.30. that he will honor them that honour him, which extendeth it ſelfe not onelyonly to the time of this life, but to the time of death and after alſo: this promiſe it is our part and duty to verifie and make good to, and vponupon the heads of all the people of God, both in the time of their life, death, and afterwards, that ſo God may be found true in his promiſe, and to doe what hee hath ſayd; This is done of vsus, as by many wayes, ſo by keeping and being meanes of preſerving an honorable memoriall of them, that therein they may for ever be bleſſed and honorable, according to that of Salomon, Pro. 10.7.The memoriall of the iuſt ſhall be bleſſed, Pſal. 112.6.and that of the Prophet David, The righteous ſhall be had in everlaſting remembrance, The conſideration whereof mooved mee to thinke and conſider with my ſelfe, how I might performe this duty to the Authour of this following Sermon, which whileſt I thought vponupon, I ſaw no better meanes to performe it by, then by publiſhing ſome of his worthy labours, that ſo (by,Heb. 11.4. and in them) he might liue and ſpeake, though he bee dead, as it is ſayd of Abell, and be had in everlaſting and honourable remembrance to the ende of the worlde. For which ende, next to Gods glory, and the good of his Church, I hauehave publiſhed (for the preſent) two Sermons given me, by his Executors, which I found in his Study, perfected, and written with his own hand faire and legible, aboue any thing which yet I find of his, as if he had purpoſed them for the Preſſe, and had fitted them therevnto: one of which Sermons is this following, which I make bolde to offer to the view of the World, vnderunder the protection of your Ladiſhip. It needeth not a Letter or Epiſtle of Recommendation from me or any other, it is able enough, and will ſpeake for it ſelfe, both for Method and Matter, wherein, I dare ſay, as the Text is Methodically, genuinely, and naturally handled, ſo the matter is worthy and excellent, and divers paſſages therein not ordinary, and no wonder, ſeeing it is the worke of a skilfull Workeman, who was more then ordinarily gifted from God, and fitted for the Worke of the Miniſtery, which the Lord appoynted him vntounto. The reaſon why I attempt the performance of this Dutie firſt to him, is this, becauſe he was one that loved me dearely in his life time, yea, honoured me much by his high eſteeme, & reverent ſpeech to all, of me, and his countenancing and incouraging me in the worke of my Miniſtery, for the ſpace of nine yeares laſt paſt; during all which time, I exerciſed my Miniſtery in his charge, with great approbation from him, and comfort to him, as he often confeſſed; ſo that I had reaſon to be firſt in this worke, and (lege talionis) to honour him that honoured me I hauehave made bolde, and beene moved to Dedicate this Sermon to your Ladiſhip for two reaſons eſpecially, firſt, becauſe of that honourable eſteeme and reſpect, which, I know, is ſeated in your religious heart, to all the faithfull Miniſters of God, and was to the Author of this Sermon in particular and ſpeciall, whereupon I perſwade my ſelfe, that you will eſteeme and reſpect a Fatherles childe of his, now tendered vntounto you, by me, (a friend to the dead and the living) and affoord it all the countenance you can, by kinde receiuing of it, and other wayes, as you would hauehave done to the Author of it, whom you oft deſired to hauehave bin familiarly acquainted with, and to hauehave entertained, as you long hauehave done, and ſtill doe, many of Gods faithfull Miniſters and Servants. The ſecond reaſon is, that I might take occaſion hereby, publiquely to acknowledge my vnfained thankfulneſſe to your Ladiſhip, for all the kindneſſes, you hauehave ſhewed and done to me and mine.
This I thought to hauehave acknowledged long before this time, by publiſhing ſome worke of my owne, and dedicating it to your Ladiſhip, but hauehave hitherto kept back, for divers reaſons known to my ſelfe, notwithſtanding, continuing my reſolution ſo to doe, if God will and permit life and opportunity. Having thus rendred my reaſons why I dedicate this little worke to your Ladyſhip, I beſeech you accept them for excuſe of my boldnes in ſo doing, and accept this worke as the labour, yea the childe of a faithfull ſervant of God, and one that put vp many a hearty prayer to God for you, eſpecially conſidering, it will requite all the countenance you can ſhew it, by the good which (through Gods bleſſing) it will doe to your Soule, which I heartily wiſh to your Ladyſhip, and all that ſhall reade it, from him that is able with the ſhowers of his grace to make it fruitfull to you and them.Pro. 10.22. His bleſſing onelyonly maketh rich both for Soule and Body; without his bleſſing wee Preach, and Print, and the people heare and reade, in vaine. To him that is the onelyonly true God, one in Eſſence, three in Perſon, I doe, and dayly will, commend your Ladyſhip, in my dayly prayers, for attaynement of all needefull bleſſings for Soule and body in this life, and eternall Glory in the world to come, through our Lord Ieſus Chriſt; In whom
I am, and ever will be at Your Ladyſhips Commaund in the worke of the Lord, WILLIAM HOLBROOKE.