The Morning Seeker, Title page – Dedication
The Morning Seeker: Shewing the Benefit of being Good betimes.
With DIRECTIONS to make SURE WORK
About EARLY RELIGION.
Laid open in Several SERMONS
By John Ryther Miniſter of the Goſpel.
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near, Iſa. 55.6.
O God, thou art my God, early will I ſeek thee. Pſ. 63.1.
LONDON, Printed by E. T. and R. H. for Dorman Newman at the Kings-Arms in the Poultry, 1673.
TO THE Honourable and truly Religious THE Lady Dorothy Norcliffe OF Langton in York-ſhire; The Lady Elizabeth Bright, The Lady Katharine Wentworth, and the reſt of her Vertuous Daughters.
MADAM,
I Have long waited for an opportunity to acknowledge the many and great Obligations I have been under by your Ladiſhip, and your Family, ſince Providence put ſuch a Price into my hand as the mercy of your Acquaintance; and this is one reaſon among many others why I Dedicate theſe poor papers to you & yours.2 Joh. 1.5. When I conſidered how John wrote to the Elect Lady, and her Children walking in the Truth,One obſervs that St. John who was the beloved Diſciple avas of a Noble ſtock, in which regard he was ſo known of the High Prieſt that he did not fear the Jews, ſo as the other Diſciples did. Where Nobility is enamelled with grace, it renders it far mere illuſtrious and ſplendid. I was much encouraged thereunto. Beſides upon theſe accounts I could not but lay hold of the preſent opportunities. 1. The Care that I know you have many years conſcientiouſly ſpent in the Education of thoſe tender Branches, the Lord hath honoured you with. O what glory might have been raiſed up to God, if in the Families of Honour and Quality there had been ſuch diligence in training up their Poſterities, in the fear of that God, whom it is a great Honour to ſerve! 2. The great ſucceſs that crowned your Ladiſhips endeavours herein, (that the Lord let you ſee your dear Children ſet upon ſeeking the Lord betimes,) that ſo many morning ſeekers in ſuch a Family (as I muſt confeſs I have not elſewhere known) while the dew of Gods bleſſing upon your Education lay upon theſe Branches; how did they while young grow up in Holy Affections and Deſires after the Wayes and Truths of God! 3. And all this much in a time when the Power of Godlineſs in many great Families was much diſcouraged (if not decry'd) though Goſpel duties, reading the Word, praying in Families, a ſtrict obſervation of Sabbaths did grow in to reproach and contempt in many Houſes: yet all that time the Lord helped you to Reſolve with an Honourable, and holy perſon of Old, I and my houſe will ſerve the Lord. Joſh. 24.15.4. The great encouragement that you have given, not only to me the meaneſt of thoſe Servants of God acquainted with your Family, but that you have given to many more in a dark and gloomy day. O how many Families have you and yours refreſhed in a day of ſtraits I and is it any diſhonour to teſtifie this before this uncharitable world? 5. The Lord honouring you with ſolidity of judgment, theſe giddy reeling times; that in dayes and times when erroneous notions and principles, as well as corrupt practices have overſpread many Families, you have been preſerved in the truth, and have taken great care that your Children ſhould, while they were young, be trained up in the truth, as it is in Jeſus. If I had no more reaſons for my preſent tender of theſe poor endeavours to you and yours, are not theſe enough? But I am afraid you will ſay here is more than enough ſaid: though not ſo much as might. I did not know upon ſerious thoughts how ſuch a deſign as this might tend to encourage or promote good beginnings and breathings after God in your Family. And though, through the rich mercy and grace of God, you be not a tender young plant in the Courts of God, but grown up in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; yet here may be ſome thing preſented to your children that may prove through a bleſſing from above of uſe to them, as to their further progreſs in the good wayes of God. I remembred one thing, when I thought of this Dedication, how often*When I had the happineſs of being converſant with them. ſome of them did employ me to buy or acquaint them with what Books they ſhould buy proper and uſeful for them; and who are fitter to Dedicate an uſeful Book to, than ſuch? (if God will ſo pleaſe to make this poor Treatiſe.) There are Lambs (your Ladiſhips know) in the flock of Chriſt, that need carrying, as well as thoſe that are with young, that need leading; there are Babes in Chriſts School who have need of milk, as well as ſtronger Chriſtians that need ſtronger meat. If this may be milk, ſincere milk that any of Gods new born Babes may grow thereby, yea, any of your Children may grow up in grace thereby, this will be the rejoycing of the Author. Now Madam, that God would cauſe your Houſe to grow, who hath made a ſure Covenant with you and yours, and that the dew of Heaven, as well as fatneſs of the Earth may be the portion of you and yours, is the prayer of
Your Ladiſhips in all Humble and due Obſervance, John Ryther. Decem. 9. 1672.