A Glimpse of Gospel Glory, To the reader – Errata
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER, and more eſpecially to my Honored Friends and Kinſmen, Thomas Bowles of Wallington, Eſquire, and Mr Tho: Bowles his eldeſt Sonne, with the reſt of that Family, a choice and chiefe part of my late Charge; and to my preſent more ſoundly intelligent or tractable hearers at my Lecture at Baldock, grace, truth, and glory, from God the Father, through his Beloved Sonne, and by the Lord the Spirit, now and for ever.
CHriſtian Reader, who ever thou art, I wiſh thee a no leſs affecting diſcovery of Goſpel glorie unto thy Soul, in the reading of theſe Sermans, then I have found in the preaching and tranſcribing of them; for theſe are the times foretold, Iſa: 11. 9. When the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the ſea, though men are ſuch High-landers they care not for comming near the bankes of ſuch waters, nor the margins of ſuch books, which as Conduite pipes would convey thoſe waters to them; As unthankefull Iſrael of old, they loath Gods heavenly Manna, though Angels foode, falling neer their tents; be it never ſo ſtrengthning, wholſome, or pleaſant, their pallats being diſtempered, they are not pleaſed with it, but they will have quailes though they have a plague to boote with them, for while the meate was in their mouthes, the wrath of God came upon them, and ſlew the fatteſt of them, Pſal: 78. 30, 31. If men loath Gods delicates, and begin to ſurfeit of their own ſuperfluities, it may be expected that he come to them as a skilfull Phyſitian, and give them a ſtrong purge, and make the choſen or young men of Iſrael to bowe, (as the words ſignifie) and well will it be with them on whom it workes a cure, to rectifie their taſte, and affect their ſoules with the bread of life: I offer thee here but a ſmall demenſum or cantling of this bread, thou art not like to ſurfeit by it; and if thy taſte agree with mine, I think thou wilt not loath it, it was cordiall to my own ſoule, as made of the kidneys of Gods own wheate (his glorious grace being the ſubject of it): And for you my well beloved, and worthy friends, who formerly had by my weak hand the ſubſtance of theſe delighting and inlightening truths, pointed out in ſome ſort unto you, happilie they were not (by meanes of the craft of Satan) then ſo much regarded, or ſince conſidered by you; and I am conſcious to my ſelf, that they were neither, then ſo largely or perſpicuouſly ſet before you, as here you may have them, if God give them enterance into your ſoules; I hope you may ſay with me, you diſcearne them better then you did before: And you my more late and more ſoundly intelligent hearers, ſuppoſing you to be ſuch as thirſt after true grace, and upon that account deſire your ſhare in the diſcovery of goſpel Glory; I muſt acknowledge there hath been a threeſold obſtacle thereof in my Late preaching of this, and other ſubjects to you, namely a dark pulpet, a dim ſight, and a weake memory, though all graciouſly ſupplied both then and now by the aſſiſtance of a good God; to which I may add a fourth (perhaps the ground too) of all the former, to wit the great imbeeilitie and weakneſs of my animal ſpirits, and declining ſtate of body by years and labours, with much variety of afflictions, troubles, and vanities of this preſent world, much decayed and waſted, were not my defects frequently ſupplyed in my ſervice, by my almighty and heavenly father; ſo that I might ſay with our Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 12. 10. That when I am weake, then am I ſtrong, (namely, through my God) for otherwiſe I have unſpeakeably more cauſe (with him) to ſay, though I be nothing, verſ. 11. ſutable to an obſervation of an old diſciple declared in my hearing, in the preſence of many grave, learned and religious perſons, as found moſt remarkeable from all his long experience, namely, that God was all, and he was nothing, which excellent leſſon who ſo rightly learn, though they be nothing, yet they both are and ſhall be the better in Gods account, becauſe they ſo know this and acknowledge it; for if God be no loſer at their hands, they may be ſure they ſhall be no loſer at his hands, who delights to put his moſt precious treaſure in empty veſſels, filling the hungry with good things, Luke I. whileſt many wiſe in their own eyes, are meer fools in Gods, whilſt many rich in their own conceit, are found by Chriſt (as the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.) to be poore, naked, and miſerable: But to you my more weak, but teachable hearers, let me ſay a word to prevent your prejudice, perhaps you may ſtumble at ſome paſſages expreſt in unknown tongues to you, firſt let me tell you, ſometimes ſuch expreſſions by ſuch as underſtand them, I doubt not but will be acknowledged as obſervable, or of ſpecial force; again, ſome are more pertinent and occaſionally delivered, the Apoſtle Paul disdained not to quote Heathen Authors, recorded in the ſacred Scripture in their own language, but more eſpecially let me informe you (if you be indeed teachable) that I have indeavoured to prevent your disadvantage thereby, by explaning uſually after them the words or ſence in your native language, ſo that you need but paſs by thoſe unknown expreſſions, and ſtill you have the ſence, and then they will be in effect to you, as if they had not been at all: and ſo with my prayers for you, and all other right Chriſtian readers of this my weak outward indeavour to promote the diſcovery of goſpel Glory unto you, unto him who undertakes this work effectually (by bleſſing his own meanes) even the Lord the Spirit (as in the Text) that you and all they may have all the good thereby, which is intended unto thoſe, upon whoſe ſouls God is pleaſed to ſet home ſuch truths for their ſpiritual advantag, and godly edifying, by reducing them from error, convincing them of truth, inciting them to good, reclaiming them from ſin, for the better information of their underſtandings, inflaming their affections with what is ſpiritually good, conforming their wills to his revealed will, reforming their whole converſations according to his appointment, and with, and above all, ſuch a transformation of their ſouls into the ſame Image (as in the Text) that in the end, that real transformation in the ſtate of Grace, in ſuch ſoules, may in Gods good time be perfected in the conſummation of glory with him in his everlaſting kingdome, there to be rendring to him that glory which is his due to all eternity, which will be the perfection of their happineſs there; ſo prayes
Your ſoules weake (yet deſirous to be their faithful) Servant in the things of the Lord. W. Sherwin.
COurteous Reader,
be pleaſed to take notice that this ſmall Treatiſe being about to come forth divers moneths agoe, was ſtopped by the ſudden death of the firſt undertaker of the publiſhing thereof, by which meanes thoſe into whoſe hands the Copy thereof did fall, not having the directions left by the Author with the deceaſed party, and another reverend and judicious friend that had promiſed the overſight of the preſs, who upon either the omiſſion or miſtake of ſome now imployed about the printing, had no notice thereof, hence it comes to paſs that many errors both in the words, ſentences, and manner of Printing, have thus unwarily paſſed, ſome of the moſt remarkeable upon a brief and ſhort review, are here corrected to thy hand, in the reſt thy candour and prudence is requeſted, either for the paſſing by or making up what thus falls out to be deficient.
ERRATA.
PAg. 6. r. of main concernment: p. 26. r. walking: p. 36. r. efficacie: p. 31. r. foreign afterwards foreign p. 32. r. foreign p. 37. r. likewiſe: p. 4. Jer: Cyp. ſhould have been in the margent, with diverſe quotations in other places: p. 68. r. corruptions: p. 79. r. foreign p. 118. r. when: p. 122. adde truly graceful: p. 129. r. differre, p. 135. r. their.