The Way to Heaven by Water, Title page – Dedication
THE WAY TO HEAVEN BY WATER, Concomitated, By the Sweet-breathing gales of the Spirit: Wherein, the Point of Originall ſinne is touched; Infants Baptiſime juſtified, and how far the guilt of Originall ſinne, in the Elect, is therein ordinarily removed, &c.
Delivered in ſeverall Lectures at Kingſton upon Hull, by JOHN WAITE, B.D. and Lecturer there for the preſent.
JOHN, 3.5, 6.
Jeſus anſwered, verily, verily, I ſay unto you; except a man be borne againe of Water, and the Spirit, hee cannot enter into the Kingdome of GOD.
That which is borne of the Fleſh, is Fleſh; and that which is borne of the Spirit, is Spirit.
Imprimatur,
Ja: Craford. Decemb: 2, 1644.
YORK: Printed by Tho: Broad, Anno Dom. 1645.
To the Right Worſhipfull, Nicholas Denman, Maior of the Town of Kingſton upon Hull, and to the worſhipfull, the reſt of his Brethren: John Wait in all humble acknowledgement of his many received favours, dedicateth theſe his Water-workes.
GEntlemen, it was the ſaying of that bleſſed Saint, Acts 3.6. aurum, & argentunt non eſt mihi, ſilver and gold have I none, but ſuch as I have, I give unto you. Ingratitude is a great defect in duty; but qui beneficitan grate accepit, ſaith that ſententious Seneca lib. 2. de beneficiis cap. 22. primam ejus ponſionem ſolvit; he that receives a kindneſſe thankfully, therby diſchargeth his firſt payment. I deſire to be no worſe, Officia etiam ferae fentiunt, lib. 1. de ben. cap. 3 even Beaſts themſelvs that have but inſtinct of nature, and want reall reaſon, yet can be ſenſible of kindneſſes done unto them. I came amongſt you as a ſtranger, you received me as a friend, as a Chriſtian; yea, as a Miniſter of Chriſt, allowed me competent maintenance to ſupport my ſelfe in theſe cloudy and unhappy dayes: let it be left upon record for a memoriall, and encomium of Kingſtone, that its a Towne courteous, kind, reſpective, generous, and liberall to ſuch as labour in it in the Word and Doctrine: a Town neither in docile, nor kicking againſt the prickes: many of you have ſeene Gods wonders in the Waters, as the Prophet ſpeakes, Pſal. 107.23, 24, &c. And he that ſhall but reade the Poet, lib. 1. de Triſtibus elegia tertia,
Me miſerum, quantis nigreſcunt aequora ventis,
Erut aque eximis ferver arena fretis,
Monte nec inferior, prorae puppique recurvae,
Inſilit, & pictos verberat vnda Deos, &c.
As it followes, might eaſily be perſwaded that the Poet had ſtollen it out of the Prophet: ſeeing that the Scriptures were tranſlated into the Greek Tongue, by the Septuagint many yeers before Ovids time: for divers Hiſtorians rank him born within 60. years before Chriſt; yea, Saturni Ephemerides, not 50. before he was born in Auguſtus his time (in whoſe raign we know our Saviour was alſo born, as you may ſee, Luke 2.1. compared with v. 7. Some Hiſtorians ſay, he was baniſhed by the Emperour the 9. yeer of Chriſt, and dyed in baniſhment, Anno Chriſti 16. So that being Ore vtroque potens, a man skilfull in both the Greeke and Latine Tongues; it was very probable, that he ſaw the Scriptures after they were tranſlated. In like manner he ſeconds himſelfe, lib. 2.
Nunc quoque contenti ſtrident Aquilone rudentes,
Inque modum tumuli …rneavu ſurgit aqua,
Ipſe gubernator tollens ad ſydera palmat.
Expoſuit votis, immemor artis, opern,
Quocumque aſpexi nibil eſt niſi mortis imago.
Quam dubia timeo menti, timenſque precor, &c.
Attigero Portam, &c.
Compare this with Pſal. 107. from 25. to 31. I know that the moſt ooyu want not ſo much learning, but that you are able to conceive of it But more of you have ſeen Gods wonders by Land, and what great things he hath done for you already, whereof you have cauſe to rejoyce; for my ſelf, I may ſay with the Prophet, Pſalm. 31.21. The Lord hath ſhow'd me marvellous great kindneſſe, in a ſtrong City; and as for you, and it, it ſhall be my care to pray for your proſperity, that God would ſtill watch over you, and that Peace may be within your Walls, that you may never know the common miſery of other men, in theſe calamitous times, wherein I have deeply had my ſhare. It is not unknowne to the World, how God had bleſſed me with a competencie, neare the place of my Nativity, and I might ſay with Job. Job. 29.2, 3, 4. Oh that I were as in times paſt, when God preſerved me, when his light ſhined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkneſſe, As I was in the dayes of my youth, when Gods providence ſhined upon my Tabernacle. But as the poor Exile complained,
En ego, cum patria caream, vobiſque domoque,
Raptaque ſint, adimi quae potuere mihi,
Ingenio tamen ipſe meo comitorque fruorque,
Caeſar in hoc potuit, juris habere nihil.
Which I think may not unfitly be rendred thus;
Behold my Countries wanting, (wherein I
Was borne,) Friends, Houſes, where I meant to dye,
All I poſſeſſed is clean ſwept away,
Which unto Rogues and Rapin open lay.
OnelyOnly the guifts of minde, God left as free,
Of which great Princes cannot plunder me.
Yet ſafely I may adde:
Ipſe ego nunc miror, tantis animique finiſtris,
Fluctbus, ingenium non cecidiſſe meum.
Sure I am, that if Gods mercy had not bin many; ſo great, and grievous croſſes, and loſſes, and diſgraces, as have fallen upon many of the faithfull Miniſters of Chriſt, had been able to have marred their pretious wits, and to have defaced the richeſt of their gifts: but, Gentlemen, the Lord preſerve you and yours, as in a Land of Goſhen, under whoſe protection, let thoſe lines walk, of which you have beene both the attentive Hearers, and worthy Rewarders: Thus he commits you to God,
Who is yours, and the Churches Servant, JOHN WAITE.