The Orthodox Foundation of Religion, Title page – To the reader
THE ORTHODOX FOVNDATION OF RELIGION, LONG SINCE COLLECTED by that Iudicious and Elegant man Mr HENRY AINSWORTH, for the benefit of his private company: And now divulged for the publike good of all that desire to know that Cornerstone Christ Jesus Crucified.
By S. W.
1 Cron. 28.9. Thou Solomon my sonne, know the Lord the God of thy Father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind.
Joh. 17.3. This is life eternall, that they may know thee the onelyonly true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
LONDON, Printed by R.C. for M. Sparke junior, and are to be sold at the Blew Bible in Green-Arbor. 1641.
TO MY MVCH HONOVRED, THE two vertuous young Gentlewomen, Mris Elionor Carent, and Mris Elionor Warre, Cousin Germans in the flesh, Concordants in the Spirit, and Co-inhabitants under the domesticke government of the Right Worshipfull, and truly religious Matron Mris Amy Long widow, of Steeple Ashton, in the County of Wilts, my singular good friends, and neighbours, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, be multiplied here in this life, and endlesse glory be assured hereafter, in the life to come.
Sweete Lady,
AS I desire not to flatter your apparent youthfull, and future hopefull deserts, both for your Christian profession, and godly conversation: so for your farther incouragement herein, I feare not to publish to the World (under your only protection & countenance) this insuing Treatise, wherein my ayme is onelyonly at Gods Glory, the Churches good, and your acceptance. It hath in a Manuscript long lyen by mee, as a dead letter, without any vulgar use; but now having the approbation of some judicious Divines my Friends and Acquaintance, I am resolved (maugre all the malice of Belial's Brats, who fancy nothing but to satiate themselves with terrene pleasures and profits) to propose it to the reading & perusing of all that chearfully endeavour to know the Lord Iesus, and him crucified, to the salvation of their soules; in comparison whereof the whole World, & all things therin cannot afford the least parallel.
Let mee make so bold with you (lovely Mris Carent) as to call to your remembrance, how Solomon (unto whom your Sexe is much beholding for divine instructions) concludes his Proverbs; Favour is deceitfull, and beauty is vanity, but the woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised: wherin (be it spoken in verity without any obsequiousnesse) you have exceeded many of your Sexe, and Age, but yet I know that you acknowledge,Jer. 32.40. that it is the Lord only that hath put this feare in your heart, and I pray God continue it unto the end;Psal. 35.18. then shall his eyes be alwayes upon you,Ps. 34.9. and nothing shal be wanting unto you, to make you compleat in the whole duty of man,Eccl. 12.13. & then shall you be incomparably more rare and pretious in the sight of God in respect of your soule, then you are now faire, and comely in the eyes of man in regard of your body. I doubt not, but you well consider, what an invaluable thing it is to be one of the Lords Iewels; as all his children are termed, Mal. 3.17. whereas others are compared to the loathsomest of all vessels,Hos. 8.8. wherein there is no pleasure. Muster up, I pray you, all the devout women, from Sarah the mother of the faithfull, Heb. 11.11. to the Elect Lady, to whom S. John dedicated his second Epistle, and you shall find a whole Army to animate you in the Lords battell, and receive in the end with them the Salary of your victory, 2 Tim. 4.7. Once more, meditate upon the Honourable Prerogatives Gods children have: for their noblenesse they are the Sons of God; for their education, they are the Schollers of Christ; for their protection, the Angels are their servants; for their calling, they are Saints; for their riches, it is Christ, and with him all things else; for their life, it is spirituall, for their death, it is pretious in Gods owne sight, and their birth-day to all felicity.
Now to conclude; that you are already of this Tribe, I am throughly perswaded, earnestly imploring the highest MercieMercy Seat, that you may so persist to the end. In the interim, let mee beseech you diligently to read this your owne Booke, and the Lord give his Blessing, that you may increase your knowledge of him, your faith in him, your delight to serve him, and your feare to offend him; which the Almighty granting, and you my misprisions pardoning, you have nobly gratified the poore endeavours of
Your reall and affectionate friend SAMUEL WHITE. Polsholt, the first MonethMonth of this hopefull yeare. 1641.
TO THE READER.
I Do earnestly intreate thee (curieous Reader) whether thou dost already abound in knowledge, and judgement, or having but as yet a little, thou desirest more, to read this Treatise here before thou give any censure upon it, I doubt not but the Booke will commend it selfe, as others of his workes hath done, viz. his Exposition upon the five Bookes of Moses, and the Canticles, and his Communion of Saints, long agoe published: all which (as in this) hee is famous in accumulating the sacred Text: But for the life of the man, my selfe being an eye witnesse (living somewhile with him in Amsterdam) of his humility, sobriety, and discretion, setting aside his preposterous zeale in the point and practise of Separation; hee lived and died unblameable to the world, and I am throughly perswaded that his soule rests with his Saviour: and therefore once more I beseech thee, accept of my good will in publishing, and my prayers for a blessing upon reading, hoping that either for the increasing or confirming of thy knowledge in grace to glory, thou wilt gleane something out of this more fruitfull than large field, which shall be the prayer of thy friend and brother
S.W.