The Life of Mr John Hieron, Title page – To the reader
THE LIFE OF Mr. John Hieron.
WITH THE Characters and Memorials Of Ten other Worthy Miniſters OF JESUS CHRIST.
Written by Mr. Robert Porter, late Miniſter of the Goſpel in Nottinghamſhire.
Publiſhed by D. BURGESS.
Exempla movent.
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Parkhurſt, at the Bible and Three Crowns in … near Mercers-Chappel. MDCXCI.
To the READER.
IN complyance with the deſire of Reverend Mr. John Barret of Nottinghamſhire, I ſend abroad this Treatiſe and prefix▪ my Thoughts (quales, quales) thereof.
I conceive it well worthy of its very Eminent▪ A…thor, Mr. Robert Porter; who alſo now ſleeps in Chriſt. The Matter, Language and Method are▪ worthy of him. Who hath herein, like himſelf, joyned brevity with ſweetneſs; given the Memoirs of many worthy Men in a narrow room: And laudably performed the Hiſtorians part in Relations, and the Divines▪ part in Reflections.
To me it ſeemeth no ſmall Duty, (as I hope▪ fa…ther to expreſs in due time,) to publiſh the Lives and Praiſes of Holy Men. It is the Will of Him, whoſe Will ought to be ours, that the Memory of the Juſt ſhould be bleſſed: And the praiſe of ſuch, is more Gods praiſe then theirs. As for themſelves, Saints need no Monuments▪ And no one▪ of them deſires a richer Encomium than Lazarus had; The poor man dyed, and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams boſom. But the Church and World do need their Memorials: For exemplifie… Sanctity, is the moſt Noble, Beautiful and Perſwaſive. The Holineſs that is in Gods Children, is of … more excellent kind, than that which is in his Holy Bibl… It is a livi… image of God; and that which is the tranſcendent End, of which the Scripture it ſelf is but a Means.
Such Narratives as this, do ſhame and wipe away the Calumnies which Ignorant Men drivel, and Malicious ones do foam out againſt the Excellent of the Earth. They do convincingly prove, what many will not think: That there are really very Illuſtrious Gifts and Graces, where no ſuch things are ſeen as Copes and Miters. And that it is not among ſuch as the Proteſtant United-Brethren, that a godly, painful Miniſter is a rare thing: Whatever be ſuggeſted to the contrary, by thoſe that ſtill judge us fitter for Priſons than Pulpits.
Great Hugo Grotius, when Dying, would have given all that ever he had, to be plain, godly John Urick. They whoſe hearts are cleanſed by the Inſpiration of the Holy Ghoſt, do ſurely expect the day, wherein the moſt Dignified Drones will wiſh they had been (what they do now malignantly name) Drudging Divines.
The Lord make us all more Pure and Holy; and followers of them who are now inheriting the Promiſes. That our Burning Buſh may not be conſumed; but our Jeruſalem be yet made the Praiſe of the whole Earth!
So Prayeth, Daniel Burgeſs.