Gods Great Care of His Good People in Bad Times, Frontispiece – To the reader
The Portraiture of the Reuerent Mr Ja… Nalton Late Preacher at St Leonards Foster lane…
GODS Great care of his GOOD PEOPLE IN BAD TIMES.
Diſcovered in ſeveral SERMONS Preached by Mr JAMES NALTON (Late Miniſter of St Leonards Foſter-Lane) immediately upon his return out of Holland about Twelve years ſince.
Publiſhed by J. F. Teacher of Short-Writing, who took them in Characters from the ſaid Mr J. Nalton.
Rom. 8.28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpoſe.
LONDON, Printed by A. M. for Nathanael Webb at the Royal Oake near the Little North-Door of St Pauls. M.DC.LXV.
Royall Oake
TO THE READER.
READER;
I Shall give thee onelyonly this brief account of theſe Sermons and of their Authour. Mr James Nalton, who was whileſt he lived a painfull labourer in the Lords vineyard, and now (I doubt not) a bleſſed Saint in Heaven, there reaping the fruits of his labours: Being about twelve years ſince lookt upon with an evil eye by ſome then in power, did (by advice of friends) prudently withdraw himſelf for a time into Holland, to avoid impending dangers. Immediately upon his return unto London he preached theſe Sermons, being as 'tis very probable ſome of the fruits of his ſtudies whileſt in another Country: his chief ſcope and deſign in them is, to ſet forth Gods ſingular care of his own people in ſad and ſinfull times. How well this hath been performed by him, and how pious and practical, and in many reſpects very uſefull theſe Sermons are, I had much rather the Reader ſhould finde by his own peruſal, than be informed by any thing that I can ſay of them. And let me adde this for his encouragement; that I have not here publiſhed onelyonly ſome ſhreds and fragments of Sermons, as hath been the too common (though not commendable) practiſe of ſome (and thoſe alſo ſo moulded and model'd by them, that very little either of the method or ſtile of thoſe whoſe Works they have pretended to publiſh could be diſcerned in them) theſe Sermons being here preſented to the view of the Reader ſo as delivered by the Authour, excepting onelyonly a paring off of ſome repetitions, which though they may have their good uſe in preaching, yet not ſo in printing, preaching and printing very much differing; not but that the Reader may poſsibly eſpy ſome faults in theſe Sermons (though I preſume none very material) which if he ſhould, I have onelyonly this juſt requeſt to make to him, that he would (as there is great reaſon he ſhould) impute them to the Tranſcriber or Printer, but not to the Authour.
J. F.