Observations Upon Hosea 2:7-8, Title page – Dedication
CERTAINE OBSERVATIONS VPONUPON HOSEA THE SECOND The 7. & 8. Verſes. As they were delivered at a friends Houſe who had broken his legg, for which meeting the Author was committed to the White-Lyon by Sir Thomas Mallet late Judge of Aſſize for the County where he remaineth Priſoner of IESVS CHRIST.
By WILLIAM KIFFIN.
Exod. ….22, 23, Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not: for he will … pardon your iniquities; for my name is in him, But if thou ſhalt obey his voyce (indeed) the… ſhall he be an enemy to thine enemies, &c.
Pſal. 81.13, 14. O that my people had harkened unto mee, and Iſrael had walked in my wayes; I ſhould ſoone have ſubdued their enemies, &c.
LONDON, Printed for William Larner, at the Bible in Little-Eaſt-cheap. 1642.
To the right worſhipfull the Iuſtices of peace for his Majeſties County of Surrie, the Author wiſheth increaſe of the knowledge of Ieſus Chriſt, together with all other good things.
RIght worſh. it may ſeeme ſtrange unto you that ſuch an one as I who have bin judged an offender ſhould be ſo bould as to go about to ſhelter any thing under the ſhaddow of your protection, as it may ſeeme both to your ſelves and others, I now do it dedicating the inſuing matter unto you, but give me leave I beſeech you a little to excuſe my bouldnes herein, being induced hereunto by theſe conſiderations.
Becauſe the providence of God ſo ordered it to call me before you, to give an accompt of my laſt practice in this thing: (namely,) why I ſhould take upon me to preach having never bin at the Ʋniverſities, nor received orders from the Biſhops.
To the which queſtion, J anſwered: that I conceived I had a warrant for what J did from the Scripture as (namely) 1 Pet. 4.10. where it is ſaid, as every man hath received the gift, ſo let th… miniſter the ſame as good Stewards of the manifold graces of God, where it appeareth to be manifeſt, that as no man in the things of God is to ſpeake above what he knoweth, but according to the proportion of Faith, ſo likewiſe ought no man to hide any of the things of God which he hath received from God, but ſeaſonably to declare them to the glory of God and edification of others, leaſt he be found in the number of thoſe who hide their talent in a napkin, and therefore being thus by the providence of God called before you to give a reaſon of my action, and the hope that is in me, J made bold to p…eſent the peruſall of what had then bin delivered unto your Worſhips.
The ſecond Reaſon inducing me hereunto, is becauſe it was the requeſt of ſome of you before whom I was examined, upon the hearing of the Subject that I was upon, that you might ſee the notes of what was delivered upon it, which I promiſed to do, and have herein faithfully done it, not adding or detracting any thing from it ſo farre as poſsibly I can remember, either in matter or manner, therefore have I made bold in this ſort to preſent it to you.
The third and laſt reaſon is, becauſe I apprehended by what I heard from you, that God hath given you in a good meaſure, knowledge by which you are able to judge of things that differ, and therefore have I preſented theſe few things unto you which God was pleaſed to helpe me to deliver, not from any opinion of any great or rare matter herein above others, but conceiving they are the truth of God, and ſuch as ought to be imbraced, I therefore tender them to your Worſh. and to all whom the providence of God ſhall direct them to, deſiring your peruſall hereof and tender conſideration hereupon, whether a man for doing this which J have done, have hereby ſo griavouſly tranſgreſſed againſt God or man, that he might by either law of God or man …o ſuffer impriſonment for it, and if David for doing his duty in the eyes of ſome appeared to be vile, ſaid that then he would be more vile, the like may I ſay, if for doing my duty to God J am compted vile, I am like to appeare yet more vile, if God inable me to it, even till he ſhall change thi… vile body of mine and make it like to his glorious body, who worketh all things according to the good pleaſure of his owne will; acknowledging with that ſuffering Apostle, and that with joy and comfort, though in a priſon, that after that way which men call hereſie, worſhip I the God of my Fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the Prophets. Pardon J beſeech, my bouldneſſe, and if any termes have paſſed from me which either derogates from your perſons or placosi, inpute it to my weakneſſe rather then to the leaſt willfulneſſe or diſreſpect, for the Lord is my witneſſe, I deſire to honour both, as likewiſe all men in place of authority, as I am bound by the word of God to do, and though I am accuſed and condemned for being at a conventicle, truely if praying for the King and Parliament and edifying one another in our moſt holy faith, be keeping conventicles, then J am guilty: but if a Conventicle be ſuch a meeting as in the leaſt meaſure is againſt any of theſe, then I deteſt it and abhorre it: thus deſiring the Lord of mercies to fill you with the knowledge of himſelfe, that you may be faithfull in your places of truſt; your unworthy ſervant ſhall remains
White Lyon, 25. March 1642, Your Worſhips to command to his power in the Lord though a priſoner, W. KIFFIN.