The Apostolical History, Title page – Dedication
THE Apoſtolical Hiſtory: CONTAINING The Acts, Labours, Travels, Sermons, Diſcourſes, Miracles, Succeſſes, and Sufferings, OF THE HOLY APOSTLES FROM CHRIST's ASCENTION TO THE Deſtruction of JERƲSALEM by Titus; A brief DESCRIPTION whereof is here Inſerted. ALSO, A Narration of the particular Times and Occaſions upon which the Apoſtolical Epistles were written; Together with a Brief ANALYTICAL PARAPHRASE of them. To which is added (for the better underſtanding of this Hiſtory) a MAP of the Apoſtle PAƲL's Travels. Publiſhed for the benefit of ſuch as deſire clearly to underſtand, and rightly to improve the Holy Scriptures. By SAMƲEL CRADOCK, B. D. late Rector of North-Cadbury in Somerſetſhire.
Eſſe Chriſtianum, grande eſt; non, videri. Hieron. ad Paullinum.
Difficile eſt, omnes partes implere hominis verè & ſolidè Chriſtiani. Gr.
Prudentem ſemper admoneo lectorem, ut non ſuperſtitioſis acquieſcat interpretationibus, & quae Commatice pro fingentium dicuntur arbitrio; ſed conſideret priora, media, & ſequentia, & nectat ſibi univerſa quae ſcripta ſunt. Hieron. in 25 Mat.
Fruantur alii ſuo ingenio, mihi illi videntur optimi concionatores, qui ſunt optimi Scripturae interpretes. Streſo.
LONDON, Printed by A. Maxwell, and are to be ſold by Edward Brewſter, at the Crane in St. Paul's Church-yard. MDCLXXII.
To his highly honoured Friends, Richard Hambden Rowland Hunt Henry Aſhhurſt Philip Foley Eſquires. (Sons-in-law to the Right Honourable William Lord Paget); And to their Pious and Vertuous Ladies.
Right Worthy and much honoured,
IF the Dedication of this poor Work unto you, may carry with it any intimation of the great Reſpect and Honour I have for you, I deſire the world ſhould underſtand the ground of it; which is not ſo much the eminency of your Quality and outward Condition (though that alſo deſerves its due value and regard) as your eminent Piety and Vertue, which renders you truly honourable, and attracts the eſteem of all good men. And truly I cannot but look upon it as a great teſtimony of the Divine favour to that Noble Family to which you are all ſo nearly related, and a great honour to it, That in an Age ſo corrupt and depraved as this is, there ſhould be found in it ſo many Perſons more ennobled by their Virtue than their High Birth; and more great in Goodneſs and real Worth, than in Eſtate. May the Bleſſing of God Almighty ever reſt on You and your Families, and make you ſtill great Examples of all that is good and praiſe-worthy, in the places where you live; that when you ſhall have finiſhed your courſe, and ſerved your Generation here according to the will of God, and are entred into your everlaſting Reſt, your Names may be to the ſucceeding Age as a Perfume poured forth.
As for what concerns this Work, you may pleaſe to underſtand, That it is the fruit of ſome of my hours of leiſure and retirement, of which I have had more of late years than ever I deſired or expected. And ſurely tam otii quam negotii reddenda eſt ratio, as he ſaid: We muſt give account to God of our times of leiſure, as well as of thoſe of publick and viſible employment. For thoſe ſeveral years laſt paſt, wherein I have been confined to privacy, I have addicted my ſelf to the ſerious ſtudy of the Holy Scriptures, not finding any way wherein I could better employ my time. For where can we find that profit, that delight, that comfort in afflictions, which may be reaped from a diligent peruſal and ſerious meditation on thoſe Sacred and Divinely-inſpir'd Writings? I have often thought with my ſelf, that a ſhort and plain Analytical Paraphraſe and Expoſition of them, might be of great uſe to thoſe who have not leiſure to read larger Comments. And accordingly I have bent my pains to ſerve them therein, as I was able. If my poor endeavours may be any ways ſerviceable to the Church of God, I ſhall rejoyce. However, as our bleſſed Saviour ſaid in excuſe of Mary when ſhe was blamed for pouring her Box of precious Ointment on his Head (Mar. 14.4, &c.), Let her alone, ſhe hath done what ſhe could; intimating, that if ſhe had known how to expreſs her high veneration and affection to Him in a better manner, ſhe would have willingly done it: So I hope I may in ſome meaſure of ſincerity and uprightneſs ſay, that I have done what I could. If I had known how to do any thing better for the ſervice of God and His Church, in the Circumſtances wherein I have of late years been caſt, I hope I ſhould have readily done it. But ſeeing I did not, I have (humbly imploring the Divine Aſſiſtance) adventured on this.
'Tis well known, that there is nothing in this world more pleaſing and cheering to the eyes, than Light; inſomuch that one elegantly calls it The ſmile of Nature. And in like manner, to the Mind and Underſtanding of man, there is nothing more pleaſing and delightful than a clear diſcovery of Truth. But of all Truths, there are none can be ſo acceptable, ſo delightful and raviſhing, as thoſe glorious Truths revealed by God in his holy Word, which tend ſo much to the bettering of man here, and to the bringing of him to eternal happineſs hereafter. And truly I am very confident, would Perſons of Quality and Education more diligently read and ſtudy the Holy Scriptures, they would find ſuch incomparable delight, ſweetneſs, and comfort in them, that Play-books and Romances, and ſuch corrupting and effeminating Traſh (which conſume the precious hours of too many of our Gentry) would ſeem vile and contemptible in their eyes. But I need not ſay theſe things to you, who know how better to employ your time, and have learned to prefer Manna before Onions and Garlick.
All that I ſhall further trouble you with, is only to acquaint you, That ſe… … venturing this poor thing of mine into a World ſo full of Cenſure and Prejudice, I find my ſelf inclin'd to put up ſome ſuch Petition unto God for it, as that excellent perſon, Mr. Herbert put up for his Divine Poems:
Turn their eyes hither who will make again:
Theirs, who will hurt themſelves or me, refrain.
And thus (honoured Friends) wiſhing very heartily unto You, and all yours, all manner of proſperity, I remain,
Your very humble and affectionate Servant, SA. CRADOCK. Geſings in Wickam-brook Suffolk, Octob. 1. 1672.