Meditations and Motives for Prayer Upon the Seven Days of the Week, Half title – Dedication
MOTIVES FOR PRAYER VponUpon the Seaven dayes of ye Weeke. Enlarged By Sr Richard Baker Knight.
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LONDON Printed for Richard Royston and Francis Eglesfeild 1642
MEDITATIONS AND MOTIVES FOR PRAYER UPON THE SEVEN DAYES OF THE WEEKE.
Written and Enlarged By S• RICHARD BAKER Knight.
LONDON, Printed for R. Royston, and Francis Eaglesfield, and are to be sold at the Angell in Ivie lane, and at the Marigold in Pauls Church-yard 1642.
TO MY MVCH HONOVRED THE vertuous Lady BAKER, wife of Sir JOHN BAKER of Sissingherst in Kent Baronet.
Madam,
THere are many causes that move mee to present this Treatise to Your Ladiship, You are the wife of that Noble Gentleman, who is the ornament of our Family: You are the daughter of that worthy Knight, to whom, while he lived, I was exceedingly beholding: but more than both these, You are a Lady of so great Devotion, that the world takes notice of it in a high degree; A rare thing in Ladies of this age, who are commonly noted for no defect more, than for excesse of vanitie. This specially makes mee conceive that a treatise of this nature will not bee unpleasing to you: for though you have many godly bookes for the exercise of your pious meditations; yet of this argument, perhaps not any; or if you have, yet varietie oftentimes makes a greater appetite; and change of labour is a kinde of refreshing. The booke came once abroad into the world before; but was then so little, that it was not fit to goe to service; It is now growne so great, that it is able to doe a good dayes worke, or rather, if your Ladiship please to entertaine it, will do you service every day of the weeke; and will helpe to set you forward in his service, who is the Ancient of dayes; and will at last turne all dayes into one day that never shall have night. And seeing it is the imploying of the short dayes here, that must make that long day happie; it is no lesse wisedome than vertue in your Ladiship, that you so piously imploy them to that end: and it will be no small service in him, that shall adde but the least graine of furtherance to your doing it. Whatsoever it is, I intreat your Ladiship to accept it, as comming from him, who is no lesse in true affection, than in profession,
Your humble Servant RICHARD BAKER.