A Celestial Looking-Glass to Behold the Beauty of Heaven, To the reader 1 – To the reader 2
The Author to the Reader.
I Beſeech you to peruſe this little Booke of my owne making: imprinted at my own coſt & charges. Which I humbly intreat you to accept at my hands: not weighing the worth, but reſpecting my good will. And deale therein (in your vertuous diſpoſition, and Chriſtian louelove and charity) as God ſhall moue your minde.
I. A. Miniſter and Preacher of Gods Word.
A CELESTIALL Looking-glaſſe: To behold the beauty of Heauen.
Directed vntounto all the Elect Children of God, very briefly compoſed, and authentically penned, that it may be effectually gained.
PSAL. 87.3.
Glorious things are ſpoken of thee, O city of God.
PSAL. 107.43.
Who ſo is wiſe, will ponder thoſe things.
LONDON, Printed by Nicholas Okes, 1621.
❧ TO THE RIGHT HONOrable, truly Noble, vertuous, and moſt worthy Lady, the Lady CATHERNE, Marchioneſſe Buckingham, wife vntounto the right Honorable GEORGE, Marqueſſe of uckingham, Vicount VILLERS, Baron of Whaddon, Lord High Admirall of England, &c. grace and peace from God the Father, through our Lord Ieſus Chriſt.
RIght honorable and vertuous Ladie, ſo farre forth as the holy Scripture maketh mention of the Titles, Magnitude, Ioyes, and Eternity of heauen, (the which I hauehave here intreated of) or any other diuine matter whatſoeuer: ſo farre I may bee bold, either to ſpeake, write, or intreate of, and no further; for the ſecret things belong vntounto the Lord, but the reuealed belong vntounto vsus, and to our children for euer, Deut. 29.29. But yet it may bee thought great boldneſſe in mee, that am altogether vnacquanted or knowne vntounto your Honor, being a Miniſter, and Preacher of Gods Word, to preſume to ſhrowde from the preiudice of contempt, this my ſmall and vnlearned Treatiſe, Intituled, A Celeſtiall Looking-glaſſe, to be patronized vnderunder your Honors protection, beeing a Lady of ſuch dignity and vertue; (and ſo in ſome ſort I do my ſelfe acknowledge.)
Yet as the Lord hath adorned you among other religious Ladyes, with whō yee ſhine as a cleere Lamp of light in the world, through your vnfeigned louelove, and ſincere profeſſion of the Goſpell, (whereby you are an honor not onelyonly to your houſe, but vntounto your whole degree and Sexe:) which as it is a ſweete teſtimony to your owne heart, that you are beloued of God, and hath made you far and neere honored of all thoſe that louelove God: ſo alſo as your religious zeale towards Gods Word doth exceed your honor or Greatneſſe, it likewiſe maketh me very confident, that it will excuſe my boldneſſe; the rather, becauſe I hauehave receiued the ground of my worke from the direction of the word of God: but the method I ſubmit to the correction of man, and am ſorry it is no more worthy your honorable view. But although it bee rawly comprized in a fewe ſcattered leaues, and as rudely compoſed in a ſort of ſcribled and vnlettered lines, as the fruit of whoſe outward husk being vnpoliſhed, may ſeeme vnpleaſant; yet (no doubt) the inward kernell once taſted, and well digeſted, may proue cordiall, and right fruitfull.
Right Honorable, and Chriſtian deuoted Ladye, like as the Moraliſts ſheweth me, that where only the quality of the affection, and not the quantity of the preſent, is to be attended, Modicum non differt à magno, it is no matter whether the preſent bee great or ſmall. So was it with Alexander,, who receiued a fewe harſh lines of verſe from Choerilus; Artaxerxes a handful of water from poore Sinaeta, and our Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt the poore widdowes mite.
In like manner I am loth to trouble your Honor with a treatiſe of long circumſtance, leſt I ſhould feare you with the loſſe of time, and ſo make an end before I beginne. But if the good liking of this Mite of my poore labours, could winne the hope of your fauour, to intreat you with patience, to peruſe the ſame: and withall, vouchſafe to grace mee with your honorable acceptance, to patronize this ſmall worke, which I in all dutifull manner, with as tender affection (as euer mother or nurſe gaue their breſts to their children, or the Pellican peckt out her blood to feed and cheriſh her young) doe here as kindly dedicate and preſent: then ſhall I (if God ſpare me life) be comforted and encouraged vnderunder ſo worthy a fauourer, to proceede in the like ſtudies, and according to my bounden duty, inceſſātly with al humility pray to Amightie God, for his glory, not onelyonly to preſerue your Honor in all happineſſe, to continue you honorable vponupon earth, but alſo to bee farre more adorned, to reigne with a Celeſtiall Crowne of glory in the Kingdome of heauen.
Your Honors in all Chriſtian duty to be commanded: I. A.
An Apologie of the Author to the Reader.
O Wretched man that I am! What am I, that dare vndertake (being but duſt and aſhes, wormes meate) to enter into a deſcription of the ſacred and Coeleſtiall Kingdome of heauen? which is in all things inſcrutable, and vnſearchable, and in all reſpects infinite. It exceedeth the power of our Eloquence, & the capacity of our Intelligence, in ſo much, that no mortall man can comprehend it.
Much leſſe that I, of men one of the meaneſt, of a defiled heart, and polluted lips, of weak memory, and of a ſhallow vnderstanding, ſhould attempt and preſume to define or deſcribe the vnſpeakeable Ioyes or ſecrets of heauen.
Yet for as much as the Lords Pen-men hauehave, according to our capacity, deſcribed in ſundry places, diuers particulars of the heauenly bleſſedneſſe; I hauehave briefly, according to the rules of ſobriety, collected and conſidered the ſame for our instruction and comfort. And as the authority of the ſpeaker or writer is loſt, when as the voyce and life is not affected with the worke it ſelfe: I doe therefore hartily deſire al thoſe (although vnknowne vntounto many) that ſhall either reade, or heare this ſhort and briefe Coeleſtiall Looking-glaſſe, and gather comforts vntounto their ſoules our of theſe my labours, to pray vntounto our Lord Ieſus Chriſt for mee, to giuegive me his grace, and direct mee with his holy Spirit, that what I either preach or write, I may both in life and doctrine expreſſe and performe the ſame vntounto my liues end: that whilſt I endeauour to raiſe others, I may raiſe my ſelfe from all my ſinnes, to the glory of Gods holy name, and the ſaluation of my owne ſoule. Amen.
I. A.
Qui ceſſat eſſe melior, ceſſat eſſe bonus.
Hee that ceaſſeth to be better, ceaſſeth to be good,