Directions for a Godly Life, Title page – Dedication
DIRECTIONS FOR A GODLY LIFE: Eſpecially for Communicating at the Lord's Table. Intended firſt for private vſe; now publiſh'd for the good of thoſe who deſire the ſafty of their owne ſoules, and ſhall bee pleaſed to make vſe thereof.
BY H. TOZER Mr of Arts, and Fellow of Exceter Colledge in Oxford.
Pſal. 69.33.
Seke yee after God and your ſoule … liue.
OXFORD. Printed by WILLIAM TVRNER Printer to the famous Vniverſity. 1628.
TO THE HONOVRABLE Gentleman Mr LORENZO CARY Sonne to the R. Honourable Vicount Faulkland Lord Deputy of Ireland.
WORTHY SIR
SINCE the time that it firſt pleaſed your honourable Father to commend you vntounto the religious government of this Colledge, wherein you now liue, your carriage hath beene ſo ſweete & louely, that it hath wonne, I dare ſay, the heart of each member thereof to a readineſſe of reſpecting this your goodneſſe, as in word ſo in deede, according to their ſeverall places and dignities. Neither could I ſuffer my ſelfe, ſtanding in a more neare relation than any of the reſt vntounto you, to come ſhort in the performance of this office; Wherefore I here offer vntounto your religious meditation this enſuing treatiſe, collected and compoſed firſt for private vſe, but now publiſhed; not to gaine the applauſe of any (from which my owne vnworthineſſe ſufficiently checkes mee) but chiefely for theſe two reſpects; first to testifie that louelove, which I both owe vntounto you and am ready to make good; Secondly and more principally to invite you to a due conſideration of thoſe holy duties therein contayned, that by a ſeaſonable knowledge of the ſame your actions may bee the more carefully ordered, and God's name in the faithfull practiſe thereof more fully glorified. The ſubiect is a matter not of humane learning, but of God's ſervice; and thereof a parte, without exception, the greateſt; the due receiving of the holy Communion. A duty, I confeſſe, better knowne, then well conſidered; and more often thought on, then ſincerely practiſ'd: if it were not ſo, bad actions would not bee ſo commonly priviledg'd by the greatneſſe of the Agents, as now they are; but they to whom God hath giuen moſt honour here, would ever thinke it their greateſt glory to honour him moſt again by their faithfull ſervice vntounto him. And good reaſon why they ſhould, if they remember that to whom God hath given moſt, of them hee requireth moſt againe; yea ſuch, who hauehave the precedency of others in place and dignity, may do well to conſider, that, in making a conſcience of matters of Religion and leading their liues according to the rules thereof, they doe not onelyonly provide well for the ſalvation of their owne ſoules, but giuegive a good occaſion to others alſo, while they happily provoke them to the practiſe of the ſame duties by their good examples: which are ever held as liuely precepts, and ſerue for a ſecret reproofe to an ingenuous inferiour, when hee ſhall ſee himſelfe defectiue in that, wherein his betters hauehave gone before him. Let the Honourable & Mighty thus remember how farre they ſhall honour God by a religious life, and then they cannot but acknowledge that it is their glorious fredome to bee his humble Servants. Others, if they pleaſe, may take notice of this perſwaſion; and perhaps they would, if I were not vnworthy to adviſe them: but now I ſpeake to you alone, whom I well knowe willing, as freely to make vſe of others helpe, ſo truely to accept of this from mee. Your owne happineſſe you must confeſſe, with thanks to God, that by his providence you liue in that Society, whoſe Religion is as firme as vndefiled; where you cannot ſay you want the rule either of louing precepts or exanple; according vntounto which you hauehave already ioyned with the rest in a religious communicating at the Lords Table. My deſire is to perſwade you to a conſtant perſeverance in what you hauehave ſo well begunne; that ſo devoting your tender yeares, with thoſe which follow vntounto the ſervice of th' Almighty, you may againe from him receiue and fully enioy his dayly bleſſing, which doth ever attend on thoſe that truely ſeeke him. Some meditations which perhaps may ſerue for your direction, I here preſent vntounto your view; in which I freely acknowledge almost nothing mine (to prevent the cenſure of a curious Reader) but onelyonly the labour of compoſing; this I now commend to you, and you vntounto the bleſſed providence of the moſt Higheſt reſting ever
Yours truely in the Lord HENRY TOZER.