Gods three arrows plague, famine, sword, in three treatises. I. A plaster for the…Gods three arrovves plague, famine, svvord, in three treatises. I. A plaister for the…

Behold here a Testimony of my due Respect to you. Behold here an Apology for my seeming Neglect of you. I do acknowledge that all the Respect which by a grateful Pastor may be due to a loving People, is by me due to you. In that respect, I do here ^athe fourth time give public testimony thereof by presenting to you in special that which is made public to all. The neglect of you, objected against me, is, my seldom preaching among you this last year. This ancient, undeniable aphorism, ^bA man can do no more then he can, giveth a just answer thereto. Great hath been the weakness of my body, first occasioned by a very dangerous disease in August last (how low I was brought thereby, ⟨image 5⟩many of you are witnesses) and further increased by two relapses, one in Nov. the other in Febr. following. (Of Gods goodness in my recoveries I shall have fit occasion to speak on The Saints Sacrifice, shortly to be tendered unto you.) Had I no other excuse, this ³were sufficient. Saint Chrysostom, where he granteth that by the weakness of Ministers bodies the Churches commodities may be intercepted, concludeth that Ministers in such cases are not to be blamed. But howsoever my weakness were a just impediment to preaching (whereby the spirits of a feeble man are much exhausted) yet would I not make it a pretext for wasting precious time in idleness. It was wittily and gravely said, ^dEven in leisure laziness is to be shunned. Worthy therefore of all to be imitated is he, who made that use of freedom from public affairs, as he set himself more close to his private studies, and thereupon was wont to say that, He was never less at leisure then when he was most at leisure: Answerably (according to the ability which God gave me) I endeavoured to spend that cessation which I had from public employments, in my private studies, so as some fruit thereof might redound to you and others. By this my true and just apology, I hope the fore-mentioned seeming neglect of you, appears to be but seeming, Concerning the subject matter of my private pains now made public, though I had by me sundry treatises heretofore preached in your ears, which might with more ease have been laid again before your eyes: