Meditations on the Lords Supper, Title page – Dedication
MEDITATIONS ON THE HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE Lords last Supper. Written many yeares since BY EDVVARD REYNOLDS▪ then Fellow of Merton College in Oxford.
LONDON, Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Robert Bostock, and are to be sould at his shop in S. Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Kings Head. 1638.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFULL SIR HENRY MARTEN Knight Iudge of the Admiralty, and of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
Sir,
SAint Hierom having in the heate of his Youth written an allegoricall Exposition upon the Prophet Obadiah, Hieron. in Prooem. ad Obad.did in his riper Age solemnly bewaile unto his Friend Pammachius both his rashnesse in that attempt, aud his infelicity further heerein, that what hee thought had beene buried amongst his private papers, was gotten into the hands of a certaine Young man, and so saw the Light. The selfe same complaint am I forced to make touching this little Manuell of Sacramentall Meditations, which I humbly put into your hands. It was written with respect onelyonly to mine owne private use many yeares since, when I was a young Student in the Vniversity, as my first Theologicall Essay. And now lately, by meanes of a private Copy long agoe communicated unto a Friend, it had without my knowledge received a Licence for the Presse, my earnest care was upon the first notice thereof wholly to have suppressed the Publication: but the Copy which had beene licenced, being, by I know not what miscarriage lost, I have found it necessary, for feare of the like inconvenience againe to review a broken Copy which I had by mee, and have rather chosen to let it passe forth with some briefe and sudden Castigations of mine owne, than once more runne the hazard of a surreptitious Edition. Mine Apology shall bee no other than that of the good father, Infanseram, nec dum scribere noveram. Nunc, ut nihil aliud profecerim, saltem Socraticum illud habeo, scio quod nescio. And now since I finde that the Oblation of the first fruits, though haply they were not alwayes the best and ripest, did yet finde favourable acceptance with God himself, I have bin embolden'd to present this small Enchiridion, (the very first fruits of my Theologicall studies) unto the hands and patronage of so greatly learned, eloquent, and judicious a person, and that upon this assurance; That as many times aged men when they walke abroad leane upon the hand of a little Childe, so even in this little and youthfull Treatise, such comfortable Trueths may bee, though weakly, delivered, as may help …n your journey towards a better Country to refresh and sustaine your aged thoughts. The Blood of Christ, and the Food of Life,2 Reg. 5. 2, 3. are subjects worthy of all acceptation, though brought unto us in an earthen vessell. Elisha was not a whit the lesse valued by that noble Naaman, 2 Sam. 17. 17.though it were an handmaid which directed unto him.1 Sam. 30. 13. Neither was Davids comfort in rescuing of his Wives, and recovering of the spoiles from the Amalakites any jot the smaller because a yong man of Egypt made way for the discovery. The Soveraignty of the Gospell is herein most excellently set forth in that it many times leadeth the Soule by the hand of a childe,Isai 1…. 6. and is as truly,1 Tim. 4. 12. though not as abundantly powerfull from young Timothy as from Paul the aged. As christ can use weake elements to exhibite, so can hee also use a weake penne to expresse the vertue and comforts of his Body and Blood. In this confidence I have made bold to prefixe your name before these Meditations, that therein I might make a publike acknowledgement of my many and deepe engagements for your abundant favours, and might with most hearty prayers commend you and yours to that Blood of sprinckling, which speaketh better things for us than that of Abe…. In which desires I daily remaine,
Yours in all humble observance, EDVVARD REYNOLDES.