The Riches of Grace Displayed, Title page – To the reader
THE RICHES of GRACE DISPLAYED In the offer and tender of Salvation to poor SINNERS.
Wherein is ſet out, The gracious behaviour of Chriſt, ſtanding at the door and knocking for entrance.
The Dutiful behaviour of ſinners in hearing Chriſts voice and opening to him.
And the comfortable event upon them both.
By Obadiah Sedgwick B. D. and late Miniſter of the Goſpel in Covent-garden.
LONDON. Printed by T. R. & E. M. for Adoniram Byfield at the Bible in Popes head Alley neer Lumbard-ſtreet 1657. 1656
To The Reader
Chriſtian Reader,
IT hath pleaſed the moſt wiſe diſpoſer of all things, by bodily infirmity, to render me unable to be ſerviceable to his glory and the good of his Church, in my publick Miniſtry: And though I did account it one of the greateſt happineſſes under heaven, that God was pleaſed to uſe me in ſo honourable a ſervice, yet through mercy, I have learned to be willing to ſubmit to the good pleaſure of God herein, and to ſay with David, If I ſhall finde favour in the… eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back again, but if he thus ſay, I have no delight in thee, here I am, let him do to me as ſeemeth good unto him. God hath no need of any for his ſervice, neither may we preſcribe unto him in what way he will be honoured by us. If therefore God ſhall be pleaſed to make me further uſeful to the Church of Chriſt, in publiſhing of any thing that I have preached: In this I ſhall rejoyce, onelyonly let me deſire thee to take heed of imperfect notes and falſe copies that may be injuriouſly publiſhed under my name to the publick prejudice; I finde that Paul was neceſſitated to ſubſcribe the ſalutation in the cloſe of all his Eſtiles, with his own hand to be the ſigne in every Epiſtle, to characterize his own writings from counterfeits, or ſuch as by forgery ſhould be fathered upon him. A wicked practice which was ſucceſſively continued by men of corrupt mindes, in divers Ages after the Apoſtles times; neither am I altogether ſecure from ſuch attempts, having lately had experience of the daring boldneſſe of one to enter that as his copy under my name, the very title whereof carries in it a manifeſt building again of that which we have deſtroyed; yea, if others ſhould not go ſo farre, yet the publiſhing of broken and imperfect notes, may bring no ſmall prejudice, not onelyonly to the Authour, but alſo to the Church of God; which is the more to be feared, becauſe it is growen ſo common a practice for mercinary men, who look no higher then their own private gaine, to claime ſo great an intereſt in the publiſhing of their imperfect copies, as that the Authour himſelfe, or thoſe intruſted by him, ſhall not be conſulted withall for the review or correcting of them; The preventing of ſuch abuſes I ſhall carefully endeavour, both by my ſelf whileſt I remaine in this Tabernacle, and what I may after my diſſolution, by intruſting ſome godly friends and brethren with the peruſal of my notes, that ſuch onelyonly may be publiſhed as ſhall be found moſt uſeful for publick benefit and edification. I have now prepared for thee this little Manual, in which there is diſcovered ſo much of the flowings and rich emanations of that fulneſſe of grace that is in Chriſt, as that whatſoever the workmanſhip of it may be, yet the matter of it is ſuch, as cannot but finde acceptance, eſpecially with thoſe who have had ſo much experience of the riches of that grace, as that they cannot but earneſtly deſire to feel more of it; if in this or any other of my notes I may be inſtrumental for the Churches good, let God have the glory, and my ſelf thy earneſt prayers, who am
Thine in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt Obadiah Sedgwick.