The Greatness of the Mystery of Godliness, Title page – To the reader
THE GREATNES OF THE MYSTERY OF GODLINES; Opened in ſeverall Sermons BY CUTHBERT SYDENHAM Teacher to a Church of Chriſt at Newcaſtle upon Tine.
LONDON, Printed by W. Hunt for Richard Tomlins, at the Sun and Bible neare Pye-Corner. 1654.
TO THE Right Worſhipfull William Johnſon Maior of Newcaſtle, With the Aldermen, Sheriffe, Common Councell, and the reſt of that famous Corporation.
Honoured, and Beloved,
IT is not any vaine deſire to appeare in print that I preſent you with theſe ſheets, but theſe two reaſons have preſt me thereunto.
Firſt, becauſe I cannot now preach to your eares, I would leave ſomething before your eyes that might quicken up your ſpirits to a holy remembrance of what you have formerly heard; for carefull and obſervant reading doth imprint with more efficacy that which it may be did but paſſe more tranſiently thorough the eare; beſides, in reading a man may dwell on a nation untill he hath ſuckt the ſpirits of it, and yet not loſe the next, which in hearing is hazardous; ſo that primarily my uſeleſſeneſſe to you (through ſickneſſe) in preaching hath provoked me, that if poſsible I might be a little uſefull to your ſoules by this.
2. I have attempted this worke to leave a character and testimony of my deepe ſence I have of your great favours to me; you have nurſed me as a Parent his Child: Now what have I to preſent you with but even this ſpirituall mite, which is ſeconded with many deſires for your eternall welfare; and this I muſt ſay, that I beleeve never more reſpects have been ſhown by any Corporation in England to the moſt grave and worthy Preachers among them, than you have ſhewn to me, unworthy me. Thus I have given you a ſhort account of what moved me to this enterprize, I hope it will be candidly interpreted among you.
I have only one thing to adde (which all the Nation may take notice of and wonder) concerning your happineſſe, that theſe nine yeares, when all the Nation have been in a puzzle about errors, ſects, and ſchiſmes, even almoſt to bloud, you have ſate as in a Paradiſe, no disturbances in your Pulpits, no railings or diſputings, Presbyterians and Independents preaching in the ſame place, faſting and praying together, in heavenly harmony, expreſsing nothing but kindneſſe to each other, in their meetings ready to help each other; and as for the errours of the times that have disturbed ſo many Towns in England, it may be ſaid of Newcaſtle as of Ireland, the Aire is ſo pure no ſuch venemous creature can live there; and this hath been through the power of the Goſpell, and your carefull Government.
Now the Lord make you reach after immortality, take heed of this evill world. Oh that you may further prize and profit by that precious Goſpell which ſhines among you, and may this little Treatiſe adde one cubit to your ſtature in grace, how will it rejoyce the ſoule of him who is
From my ſick Chamber in Axeyard in Kingſtreet in Weſtminster. Yours to ſerve you in Goſpell, if ever God recover my ſtrength, Cuthbert Sydenham.
To the ingenuous godly Reader.
ALL I have to entreat thee in the reading of theſe ſheets is, firſt that thou wouldſt no… look on it as a bare Treatiſe, wherein things are only opened and demonſtrated, but as Sermons where the ſame things muſt ſometimes be repeated, and often inculcated to worke the notions, if poſſible, into the ſpirits of men. Secondly, that thou wouldſt do thy ſelfe and me ſo much right as to correct what thou findeſt amiſſe, and eſpecially there is need of thy charity in reading this book; for in expreſſing ſuch high and great myſteries, the least omiſſion or addition of a ſyllable, yea, of a letter, may make it blaſphemy to the Reader; I have found out ſome which I point out before thee, p. 44. for very read every. p. 45. for foreign r. foreign. p. 67. for God did manifeſt himſelfe r. God did not. p. 69. for nature r. heart. p. 77. for dwelling r. dreadfull. p. 93. for when r. were p. 94. for you r. gone p. 96. for wiſe r. wiſdome. p. 97. for your death r. only you. p. 119. for expreſſion r. impreſſion. p. 145. read the foure firſt verſes warily. p. 183. for take r. took. p. 144. leave out very p. 190. for Iews r. Gentiles. Other things I entreat thee to correct thy ſelfe, and where the ſenſe failes to helpe it with charity; the Lord give an underſtanding heart, and a diſcerning eye to dive into the mysteries of the Goſpell; this is the deſire of him who is
Thine in the Goſpell C. S.