A Hand of Fellowship to Help Keep Out Sin and Antichrist, Dedication 2
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR HENRY BAKER Knight and Baronet, and to the Lady KATHERINE his religious and louing Wife, Grace in this world and glory in the world to come through CHRIST our LORD.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL,
The rule is not more old than good,Ingenuum eſt fat…r… per quem prof…cris. That it is an ingenuous thing to confeſſe by whom we reape profit. Hauing therefore by good proofe found your hands not to be ſealed vp to me: though I beg no new fauours (becauſe through Gods mercy I hauehave learned to want, and to abound, and in all eſtates to be content) yet I humbly beſeech you to giuegive me leaue freely to acknowledge your louelove vntounto me. It was not wi…hout your charge that I came firſt to ſettle in this Cou…ry: neither hauehave I here continued without the inlargement of my Librarie by your Bookes beſtowed vponupon me. What therefore can I render vntounto you (beſides my publike Miniſterie) but ſome ſuch poore acknowledgment as this is? A plaine Sermon I confeſſe it is, yet ſuch an interpreter of my heart, that I hope you ſhall plainly ſee my honeſt deſires to lay before you a picture of your (together with the reſt of Gods peoples) gratious eſtates. It was a vſe in rich mens feaſts,Herodot. lib. 3. amongst the Aegyptians of old, to appoint one who ſhould ſhew a wodden carkaſſe of a man liuelily cut out, to eueryevery gueſt, and to ſay to this effect: So eat, drinke, and delight thy ſelfe as withall thou caſt thy eye vponupon this which ſheweth thee what thou ſhalt be when thou art dead. It may be this ſpirituall anatomie (which I offer vntounto you) may hauehave as good a vſe to call backe our ouer-lauiſh loues from the delights of this world, by ſhewing vsus either what we are, or what we ſhould be. What though it be rudely cut; yet when I remember a worthy ſpeech of your owne, (What care I for a young man who can talke of genus and ſpecies, and other logicall and philoſophicall ſubtleties: giuegive me an experienced Preacher who can ſpeake to the heart;) I cannot doubt of your louing entertainment of this my homely worke. I know you neglect not any humane Arts, prouided they doe prepare and not impriſon our wits from more noble imployments;Modo praepareat no… detinc…t ingentum. it hath beene your glory to be well ſeene in ſome of them: yet when I doe conſider what S. Auguſtine ſaith, if my memory faile not;Surg… … & … & … …or… tr… …. The vnlearned ariſe and take heauen by violence, whereas great Doctors are thruſt into Hell: and when I ſee that many thriue in grace, who hauehave no learning but Scripture, and no eloquence but what conſcience doth dictate, I cannot but humbly pray to God, that you may alwaies be of that minde which you d…e d ſcouer in that gratious ſpeech. I know right well that they are to be found in the world, who will lay other draughts of holineſſe before you than you ſhall here finde. They will tell you of Maſſes, of haire-cloth, of whippings, of pilgrimages, and other penances; and were it not that God hath taught you already to diſcouer the hypocriſies of theſe, and to ſee that, to ſtop the mouth of conſcience for a time, they may be practiſed by the wickedeſt wretches, they might haply preuaile with you, being gilded ouer by the ſubtleties of Antichriſt. But, bleſſed be God, your ſoules are from amongst Lions, and I hope you hauehave beene longer trained vp in Chriſts ſchoole, than to be ſo gulled with ſuch impoſtures. My care and prayer to God for you ſhall rather be that yee may adorne the profeſsion of the Goſpell which yee hauehave vndertaken. There are too many in the world, who with Caius Curio are ſingularly eloquent,Lin. vitae ex vell. Pat…r…. lib. 2. and wittily wicked: but how much better is it to hauehave a flower tongue, and a duller braine, with more true godlineſſe and honeſtie? Goe on, I humbly beſeech you, to be recluſes from the world, and from the wickedneſſe of it. And becauſe there are many who are like Copronimus, of whom it is ſaid,Ne… Chriſtianū, nec Iudaeum, nec Paganum fu…ſſe, ſed colluui…m quandam impietatis. that though he would be called a Chriſtian, yet he was neither Chriſtian, nor Iew, nor Pagan, but a very ſinke and puddle of ſinne: th…refore how will it honour ſuch perſons as yee are, to redeeme the c…edit of the Goſpell f…om obloquie, and to honour God by ſincere and conſtant practiſes of pietie? They lay a kinde of diſgrace vponupon God, as well as vponupon the Goſpell, that would be accounted Chriſtians, and yet are not good. If a King ſhould ſend, with inſtructions for the preſenting of his perſon and will to another Prince, ſuch a meſſenger as could not execute it, did it not lay this diſgrace vponupon him, that he is not able to chuſe a fit perſon to doe his buſineſſe? So is it diſgracefull to God to ſend ſuch an one into the world in his name, and with the honourable title of his ſeruant, yea Sonne, who doth the errand of the world, the fleſh, and the deuill, rather than of him whoſe name he beareth. That therefore the cenſure of the Cynick vponupon the common people, who did highly extoll thoſe that contemned money, and yet were very money-mongers themſelues, may not fall vponupon you, let it be your glory and your reioycing not onelyonly to praiſe and countenance the vertuous, but alſo as you hauehave begun, to be of the ſame knot and bleſſed ſocietie. I know that this muſt be effected by a ſpirituall death vntounto the world and ſinne: but if it were a comfort to be put to death with Phocion, …becauſe Phocion was innocent and well-deſeruing of the Common-wealth; then how much comfort may it be vntounto vsus to hauehave fellowſhip in the death of Chriſt to our death vntounto ſinne, and in his reſurrection to our riſing vntounto newneſſe of life. This Sermon ſhall (through Gods bleſsing) a little helpe you forward in this gracious worke: in which reſpect my humble ſuit vntounto you is, that you would be pleaſed to vſe it as your owne. I was loth to let you paſſe amongst my publike acknowledgments of others loues (though I cannot at thi… ti…e giuegive you what place you hauehave) and I would be lot… that, now I doe ſhew my ſelfe vntounto you, I ſhould not giuegive you that content which I deſire. To end in a word: SIR, let me put you in minde of that Axiome which was regiſtred amongst the Ciuilians in the daies of Iuſtinian: …That it wa… n…t conuenient for any man to looke after what was done at Rome, but to examine iuſtly what ought there to be done. Th…s politike rule was ma…e to vphold Romes cre…it … Rom…s villanies. I would a little alter it vntounto your Worſhip, and ſay, that it is conu…nie…t for you to looke after what is done am…n… vsus, and to examine iuſtly what ought to be done. This is the next way to giuegive you to ſee the idleneſſe, drunkenn…ſſe, and o her d…ſorders that doe abound through Ale-houſes, thoſe curſed nurſeries of villanie, which doe compaſſ… vsus in on eueryevery ſide, and prouoke you to vnſh…ath the ſword of iuſtice which God hath put into your hand.C…ra …nte… nem… … D… … … ſt… a… … … quam induc…re. Oh how well would it become you, how much would it honour God, and how would it cheere the ſpirits of the good, who are ſadded with this burthen vponupon vsus! MADAME, let me put you in minde of that ſpeech of Iohn to the elect Ladie, If there come any vntounto you, and bring not the doctrine of our Lord Ieſus, receiue him not to houſe, neither bid him God ſpeed: and let your ſpeciall care be that your children be found walking in the truth. To you both, I hauehave, as a Miniſter of the Goſpell,Onus vel ipſis A…g… ſo…m…o…. a fearefull burden which lieth v…on me. God is my …ortion if I ſhall vnderunder goe it with an honeſt heart. This ſhall alſo adde vntounto my reward if in your places you ſhall ſtill carry your ſelues as the beloued of God. This therefore he prayeth for, who deſires for euer to remaine,
Your Worſhips poore friend, and carefull Shepherd, ROBERT ABBOT.