Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Title page – Dedication
A PLAINE AND COMPENDIOVS EXPOSITION OF CHRISTS Sermon in the Mount: Contayned in the 5. 6. 7. Chapters of Saint MATTHEW.
Being the ſubſtance of ſundry SERMONS By IOHN CARTER Miniſter at BELSTEAD neare Ipſwych:
MATTHEW 17. 5.
This is my beloued Sonne, in whom I am well pleaſed: heare yee him.
LONDON, Printed by W. S. for Samuel Man dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the ſigne of the Swanne. 1627.
TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVL Sr. WILLIAM BORLACE the elder of Bockmore-hall in the Countie of Buckingham, Knight; AND Miſtris HELLEN BACON of Shrubland-hall in the Countie of Suffolke, Widow, Grace and peace be multiplyed.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL;
HAuing now, in appearance, well ncere ſerued my time, and hoping ſhortly to put off this my Tabernacle, my deſire is to leaue ſome memoriall of my poore labours to my dearely beloued Pariſhioners, and all other well affected people. That after my deceaſe (if it bee the will of God) they they may hauehave the mayne documents of the truth, which is according to godlineſſe, heretofore taught by word of mouth, alwayes in remembrance. Concerning the ſubiect or matter of this Treatiſe, ſince our Lord and Maſter, Chriſt Ieſus himſelfe, goeth before me in the whole, and I doe but follow him from ſtep to ſtep, as a plaine, and (I truſt) faithfull interpreter of his minde, it challengeth, of right, audience, attention, and abſolute obedience at all hands, as being in it ſelfe most ſacred and compleate: whereof that of Chriſt elſewhere may iuſtly bee taken vp, This doe, and liue. For it contayneth a plaine and perfect pathway to Heauen; as the coneluſion of this Sermon doth vndeniably demonſtrate, wherein the hearers and doers of theſe his words are pronounced vnmoueable, as being built vponupon the rocke. The methode or order, vſed by this great Prophet, is in like manner moſt admirable, though (in my poore opinion) not ſo well obſerued by interpreters. This alſo I hauehave endeauoured to vnfold▪ referring eueryevery document to the proper place; which (as I take it) helpeth not a little to the vnderſtanding and bearing in minde of the whole Sermon. But if any thing be performed by mee in t…is Worke, and my decrepit old age, worth your trauailes in reading, I had rather that you ſhould find it, then my ſelfe relate it; wherefore I deſiſt. OnelyOnly giuegive me leaue (I pray you) to requeſt two things of your Worſhips; eſpecially of you, good Sir William, ſo much conuerſant in learned Writers of all kinds (which requeſts alſo I make to all other, who ſhall venture their paines and time vponupon this Treatiſe) firſt, that you would not expect any excellencie of words, or intiſing ſpeech of mans wiſdome, which the Apoſtle r1. Cor. 1. 17. & 2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.ſo vehemently diſclaymeth vponupon moſt ſtrong Reaſons, and our Lord Chriſt looketh not after heere, or in any other his teachings, but deliuereth the plaine and ſimple truth, in all holy plaineneſſc and ſimplicitie, nothing at all carefull to pleaſe mens fancies by curious phraſes and figures of ſpeech, ſtrange and farrefetcht conceits, or various mixture of humane Literature, for oſtentation ſake: mine vnfeined endeauour hath beene to follow him herein alſo from ſtep to ſtep, making the expoſition as ſutable, as I could, to the Sermon it ſelfe. My ſecond ſuite is, that you would be pleaſed not to iudge of the whole Worke by ſome parts and paſſages of it, eſpecially in the beginning of it (which perhaps will hardly ſatisfie the iudicious Reader) but to ſhew me this fauour, if you make a beginning, to take the paines at your leiſure, to reade all: I dare promiſe nothing, yet my hope is, that, ſo doing, your labour (as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh in a higher caſe) ſhall not bee altogether in vaine in the Lord. Thus crauing pardon for my boldneſſe in preſuming to dedicate theſe weake papers vntounto you, I humbly take my leaue; intreating God Almightie ſo to be with you by his grace and Spirit, that you may grow eueryevery day more and more like vntounto your worthy Mothers (your Fathers I knew not ſo well;) I meane thoſe two famous Siſters of bleſſed memory, Miſtris Elizabeth Barret of Bray, and Miſtris Anne Borlace of little Marlow, both Widowes indeed: whom Enuie it ſelfe cannot deny to hauehave ſhined as Lights in their times, for the practice of pure and vndefiled Religion. Whom alſo if you continue to imitate, and to be inheritours of their great vertues, as you are of their great eſtates, you ſhall leaue your names as a bleſsing to your Poſteritie, as they hauehave done theirs to you.
Your ancient poore friend, and petitioner to God for you and yours, IO. CARTER.