A Hand of Fellowship to Help Keep Out Sin and Antichrist, Dedication 3
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR THOMAS HENDLEY Knight, and to the Lady ELIZABETH his dearely-beloued Wife; Life, Health, and Saluation through Chriſt Ieſus our Lord.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL:
I DOE not know whether thoſe that doe aduenture to publiſh bookes, in theſe woefull times wherein we liue, doe goe too faſt or too ſlow. I remember it was fained of old, that Aeolus hauing beſtowed a bottle vponupon Vlyſſes, wherein all the windes were incloſed, his ſeruants let them out, when hee was aſleepe, to their owne hurt: ſo many times it falleth out, that wee doe emptie our owne poore withered bottles by the Preſſe, to our owne preiudice. Howſoeuer it proues, for mine owne particular, I doe humbly commit the ſucceſſe to God, who only knoweth with what heart I doe it: and being drawne out by little and little to appeare in publike, I, being ſenſible of the many fauours, which, aboue my expectation or deſert, I hauehave reaped both from you and yours, can doe no leſſe than make you publikely to appeare alſo together with me your Paſtour, who ioy in your louelove, and ſhall more ioy in the increaſing of your graces, and the further fitting of your ſoules and bodies for heauen and happineſſe. I know not what benefit this poore Sermon can bring vntounto you: yet (ſo farre as I can be mine owne carner) thus much I reſolue, that whatſoeuer good ſhal ariſe by it, either to your ſelues or others, it ſhall beare your Worſhips names in the forehead of it, and thereby ſpeake thus much, that the world ſhould neuer hauehave ſeene it, if the louelove of God, together with your kindneſſes, had not drawne out from me (who can ſhew little other) ſuch a kinde of fruit and acknowledgement as this is. I thought it was enough for me to preach vntounto my owne, and now and then to lend the beſt dugge I had to a neighbours childe abroad. I well knew mine owne weakneſſe, and the weight of a preſſes burthen. Yet conſidering how apt the weake mud-wals of my poore houſe are eueryevery yeere to fall, and withall that it is not altogether impoſsible that I ſhould doe ſome ſmall good vntounto my good people, euen when I am dead by ſome ſhort Mementoes of what I hauehave formerly taught, I thought that it would become me a little to write ſomething, whereby the weake faith of me vnworthy thy Abel might ſpeake being dead, and in the publiſhing of which, I might not be altogether vnmindfull of the kindneſſes and fauours of my louing friends. Hence then commeth this Sermon to appeare; which though in reſpect of the manner, it be rude and homely, yet it hath matter which is worth our conſideration. It preſſeth ſobrietie, watchfulneſſe, and prayer, which are neceſſary and vſefull duties eueryevery day: and it will ſtand vp as a little ſea-marke, to point at thoſe rockes of the Papacie, from which it hath pleaſed God hitherto to preſerue you. I know that your temptations hauehave not beene ſmall nor ſeldome; kindred and kinde opportunities hauehave giuen much aduantage to the tempters: but by how much more open you lay, by ſo much greater appeareth the glory of God in your weakneſſes, which hauehave beene preſerued from the defilements of the filth of Babylon. Long and euer may that gratious worke be continued vponupon you and yours: And I humbly pray God, that (as the Aegyptians did vſe to offer in ſacrifice to their curſed gods of the fruit of the Peach-tree, which is not altogether vnlike to a mans heart; and of the leaues of the ſame, which are like to a mans tongue; thereby teaching that God requireth both tongue and heart: ſo) you may ſtill continue and abound in offering vp the outward and inward man, in publike and priuate ſeruices to the true God. I hope that from ſound knowledge you doe throughly hate the many lies, wherewith our aduerſaries doe ſeeke to diſgrace vsus and our cauſe (as of the noueltie, impuritie, and blaſphemie of our Religion and the like:) and hauehave learned from the Perſian Law, after the third lie, to enioyne a man perpetuall ſilence; or, if that be not in your power, yet neuer to beleeue him more. I know that as it is ſaid of Aſpes, they are of a skie colour, and hide their inuenomed teeth within ſoft gummes: ſo yee ſhall ſee, and hauehave ſeene, the Proctors of Antichriſt veluet-mouthed, and like heauen in appearance, muſtering the Fathers, yea and Scriptures in ſuch order and equipage, as if in the cauſe of Religion all were theirs: but I remember what we reade of Balme, Pozel. de Patef. D…i.that Vipers are nouriſhed with the iuice of it (which they turne into poiſon) and that they with their whole broods are delighted with the ſhadow of the leaues of it; yet the iuice of Balme is an excellent remedie againſt their poyſon: Euen ſo the maintainers of Schiſmes and Hereſies doe feed vponupon the Balme of Gilead (I meane the ſacred Scriptures and Fathers abuſed) and doe turne thoſe wholeſome viands into poyſon, and yet that very word of God and vnſophiſticated antiquitie, are excellent remedies againſt all their impoſtures of falſe doctrine whatſoeuer. Let mee therefore beſeech you, in the entertainment of any doctrine, to vſe Gods ſpectacles ſtill, that no falſe colours may deceiue you to the preiudice of your ſoules: and ſo to prouide for ſobrietie and watchfulneſſe in prayer in theſe perilous times, that yee may not be like to vnthriftie ſeruants, who hauing their allowance of candle, ſpend it out in gaming and riot, and at the laſt are faine to goe to bed darkling. This would be a wofull abuſe of that light of knowledge which God hath giuen you. From this therefore euen the Father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt (who hath preſerued your Worſhips hitherto) keepe both you and yours for euermore. Thus he humbly prayeth, who heartily deſireth the well-fare of your bodies and ſoules:
ROBERT ABBOT.