Davids Evidence, Dedication – To the reader
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, AND HIS SINGVLAR GOOD LORD, THE LORD WENTWORTH and to the right honorable and vertuous Ladie his wife. W. B. wisheth the certaine assurance of Gods fauour in this life, and the full fruition of the same in the world to come.
AT length I hauehave presumed, (which I hauehave long purposed) to offer vntounto your Honors, some poore token of that duetie which bindeth me vntounto your H…. while life lasteth. Hoping that you will accept of it as fruite in season, although it be of two yeares growth and more. After I had yelded vnt… the publishing of these few Sor… I thought with my self of whō I might m…ke choise, to become a patrone, & a refuge … so poore, and simple meditations: that vnderunder the shadow of their fauourable acceptaunce they might finde some rest, and reliefe, and when I thought of your Hh. I set downe my rest, boldly presuming, yea fully assuring my self, that this small testimonie of dutie (whatsoeuer it be) should be no lesse acceptable thē my selfe hauehave bene alwayes welcome vntounto you, & to your whole houshold. And indeede my good Lord, they doe belong vntounto your Hh. in many respectes.
First, in regard of those manifold fauours and honorable, kindnesses, which I hauehave alwayes (although vndeserued) founde at your Lordships hands. Secondly, when I was as a dry roote remoued, and vnlikely to finde a place to grow in, your Lordship did receiue me, and (vnderunder God) a was speciall meanes to preserue me frō such stormes and tempestes as did then threatē to annoy me. Further, by your Lordshippes good meanes a way was made, & a place was prouided, that I might exercise my talēt to the gaine of the Church. At my departure, your Lordship also furnished me with bookes out of your Librarie, & with other helpes, more then euer I looked for, or deserued: and in all these, your onelyonly care and desire was of my good, & the good of Gods Church. Reason therfore requireth, that your Lordship should once in 2. yeares space take a tast, at the least, of some of that frute, which (through the blessing of God) the soile of your Lordships fauor & kindnes, hath yeelded. But principally in regard of the matter it selfe, this treatise (If it be worthie of such a name) belōgeth to both your Hh. and to your whole houshold, whose chief delight with your Hh. was alwayes (during my abode in your Lordships house) in the holy exercises of religion & pietie. And I doubt not but that your Hh. godly zeale, and Christian care that way is still as great as euer, if not much greater then euer it was.
As for the matter subiect of this treatise (I meane the assurance of Gods fauor, and such things as belong vntounto the same) I am perswaded, it is so heauenly, and comfortable in it self, that nothing can be vntounto your Hh. more deare and precious, then to be conuersant in the same: for I know you are already perswaded therof, and sufficiently confirmed therin: yet as the Disciples said (when the Lord Iesus shewed what a happy thing it is to eate bread in the kingdome of heauen) Lord giuegive vsus euermore of that bread (the very hearing therof did so please them.) Euen so your Hh. hauing heard, and felt in your soules, how blessed a thing it is to be assured of Gods fauor to eternall life, you will say, let vsus still heare of that matter. For all things sauing this, do in time cōsume & become tedious: but this is of that nature, that the more is spent of it, the more it increaseth, like the widowes oyle, and the longer it is fed vponupon, the sweeter it is vntounto the soules of the faithful, like the water which Christ turned into wine, that who so euer drinketh thereof, may say as his mother said, (when all seemed to be gone) Lord thou hast kept the better vntill now, and the best is yet to come. If it shall please your Hh. to vouchsafe the perusing herof, and to measure the commendation therof vntounto the glory of God, but by the liking and feeling of your own hearts, I hauehave what I desire, and my paines are more then sufficiently recompenced. Thus humbly crauing pardon for my boldnes, I commend both your Hh and it, to the gracious blessing of the most high.
Your honors, in all humble duty, to be commanded in the Lord, VV. Burton.
TO HIS BELOVED AND Christian auditours in the Citie of Bristoll grace, mercy, and peace.
FOr your sakes in generall (beloued in the Lord Iesus) I hauehave aduentured to lay my selfe open in these my poore endeuours, to the view and censure of all the world. For your comfort, I first spake them, and for your profit I hauehave now penned them, that if any thing were at the first mistaken, and not well vnderstood, or since that, hath bene forgotten, and as yet is vnpractised, you might now learne it better, remember it longer, & practise it euer, to your endles cōfort. But that which hath chiefly preuailed with me for the publishing hereof, is the earnest desire of many, and special entreatie of some poore Christiās, afflicted in conscience, which came vntounto me since, with their imperfect notes of their owne gathering, which I tooke as certaine pledges of some comfort already receaued, and argumēts of a holy desire to be further profited therby. Whose Christian desire, and godly hunger I take in this case as a sufficient calling hereunto, neither do I yet see how I could well hauehave made them a deniall, without some preiudice to their soules, some aduantage to the enemie, and some checke vntounto my owne cōscience. For the matter it selfe: I cōfesse, it is of that Maiestie, and excellencie, that it requireth both large and deepe discourses, wherein many both learned & godly hauehave not bene wanting. My care hath bene to be found and plaine, for the benefite especially of the simpler sort. And as the woman in the Gospel thought her selfe happy if she might but touch the hem of Christes garmēt, so when I began to meditate vpō the assurance of Gods louelove, it seemed to be so excellent a point and so full of comfort, that I thought my selfe a happy man if I might but touch the points, & borders thereof, seeing I could not attaine to the full hādling therof. If any ignorant may be instructed in the truth, if any hereby may in time be conuerted to the louelove of the truth, if any that is cōuerted, may by this meanes be confirmed in the truth, giuegive God the glory, and I hold my trauaile sufficiently recōpensed, neither shall it repent me to hauehave passed through good report, and bad report, through honor and dishonor, & the censures of all, so that any profite may redound to your soules, and all the glory may returne vntounto God. That God which in his rich mercy hath first planted, and now watered it, cōtinue his good blessing vponupon it, that it may become fruifull in vsus, and we in it may grow vp as trees planted by the riuers of Gods louelove & fauor, to bring forth fruit in due season, thē shall not our leaue… wither, and that which we take in hand shall prosper, vntounto the full fruition, and happy enioying of that his louelove, wherof he hath now giuen vsus an assurance in his Sonne Iesus Christ. Read well, and reape much, po… …esse your soules with patience, and assist me with your prayers.
Your seruant for the Lord Iesus. W. B.