Antidote Against Distractions, Title page – To the reader
An Antidote AGAINST DISTRACTIONS: OR, An Indeavour to serve the Church, in the daily Case of WANDRINGS in the Worship of GOD.
By Richard Steele M. A. and Minister of the Gospel.
Judges 16.15.
How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me?
Psalm 119.10.
With my whole heart have I sought thee,
O let me not wander—
Basil. con. 9. de Oratione.
foreign.
Bernard. de inter. Domo. c. 29.33.
Non cogitando cogito, cogitata recogito, & eadem iterum iterumque replicare non cesso, — in choro sum corpore, & in aliquo negotio mente — Aliud canto, & aliud cogito, psalmodiae verba profero, & psalmodiae sensum non attendo: vae mihi, quoniam ibi pecco, ubi peccata emendare debeo.
LONDON, Printed for Elizabeth Calvert, at the Black-spread Eagle in Barbican. 1667.
TO THE Most Holy TRINITY.
THese first fruits I humbly lay at thy blessed footstool, being ambitious of no other Patron but Thy self; for, Thou alone canst attest the sincerity of my aim herein, which will plead with Thee for the imbecillities thereof: Thou alone art the right Author of every valuable line and word in this ensuing Tract. The Errata's only are mine, but the Honour's Thine. Thou hast the strongest hand, and truest heart to protect, both the Writing and the Writer from all the malicious or unkind usage, that we may meet with. Thy approbation chiefly I humbly crave, and then I am sure to have all good men on my side. Against Thee, Thee only have I offended by my Distractions, and done these evils in Thy sight; and therefore am bound to seek the destruction of them, in all the world for Thy sake. Thou hast so infinitely obliged the unworthy Writer of these lines, that he rejoyces in this opportunity to tell the world, That there is none in Heaven or Earth to be compared to Thee. Thou only canst make my Indeavours herein succesful, and bring that to the heart, which I could only present to the ear or eye. VntoUnto Thee therefore do I dedicate both this and my self, with this earnest Prayer, That this Essay may both please Thee, and profit thy Church! That Thou wouldest take this Rod into Thy hands, and therewith whip these buyers and sellers out of Thy Temple! That Thy great Name may hereby be magnified, though the Writers were never known! To Thy heavenly blessing, do I most humbly recommend this mean work, and worthless workman, with a Resolution to remain, while I have any Being,
Thine own Richard Steele.
To the serious Reader, especially the first Hearers thereof.
Christian Reader,
YOU have here an Antidote against the most common distemper of God's people in his Worship. My own disease caused me to study the cure; the general complaint of good people against these Egyptian Flies, moved me to preach it; and the common good of God's Church (not without solicitations thereto) hath now perswaded me to publish it. Be not offended, that so much is written of so minute a point; greater Tracts of the Fever, Stone, or Tooth-ach (whereby they might be certainly cured) would not be thought too long, by such as are sick thereof. Indeed, this had never seen the light, but that the disease is so general and that so few, if any, that have throughly, and on purpose handled it. However, this may serve (as the Learned L. Verulam *Letter to the E. of Salisb. concerning his Advancement.hath it) to awake better spirits, and to do the Bell-ringer's office, who is first up, to call others to Church. This being my first Essay, riper Judgements will (I believe) observe divers defects and superfluities therein, but Candour is a common debt, which we all owe one to another; and one poor mite may be accepted by men, when two mites can please Christ himself. It is my Request To you especially, that were the first Hearers hereof, that ye be not Hearers or Readers only, but Doers of the Word. The world knows, you have been constant hearers, let the world see, that you are careful doers. The indubitable truths and duties, that I have still laid before you, will undoubtedly convert you, or else undoubtedly condemn you; and therefore I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, that ye receive not the Grace of God in vain. For now I live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. And my earnest request for you, is, that Divine Power may accompany Divine Precepts. If you reap any benefit, let God have all the praise, and put the poor Instrument into some corner of your prayers. I have chosen a dialect and phrase familiar, for the advantage of the matter, rather than the applause of the Writer, being contented to be ranked among those,Ambro…. lib 8. …p. 6…. qui non secundum artem scripserunt, sed secundum gratiam; you will excuse the unevenness of the stile, and other imperfections, when you understand that I had more studies than books in the composing hereof, being distant from my Library, and variously distracted in the writing about Distractions. But my aim being a solid cure, not a starcht discourse, I have chosen a Divinity dress, and not preached my self [who am the chief of sinners] but Christ Iesus my Lord [the chief of Goods] and my self
Your Servant for Iesus sake, R. S. May 10. 1667.