A20760:469
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common…Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common…
Four treatises tending to dissuade all Christians from four no less heinous then common sins; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkenness, whoredom, and bribery. Wherein the greatness and odiousness of these vices is discovered; and the means and remedies, which may either preserve, or wean men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By John Downame Bachelor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods word.Foure treatises tending to disswade all Christians from foure no lesse hainous then common sinnes; namely, the abuses of swearing, drunkennesse, whoredome, and briberie. Wherein the greatnes and odiousnesse of these vices is discouered; and the meanes and remedies, which may either preserue, or weane men from them, are propounded. Whereunto is annexed a treatise of anger. By Iohn Dovvname Batcheler in Diuinitie, and preacher of Gods word.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for William Welby, 1609
Dedication: TO THE RIGHT Honourable Sir Thomas Egerton Knight, BARON of Ellesmere, Lord Chancellor…
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
TO THE RIGHT Honourable Sir Thomas Egerton Knight, BARON of Ellesmere, Lord Chancellor of England, and one of his Majesties most honourable privy Counsel, my very good Lord: health and prosperity with increase of all spiritual graces in this life, and eternal happiness in the life to come.
TO THE RIGHT Honourable Sir Thomas Egerton Knight, BARON of Ellesmere, Lord Chancellor of England, and one of his Maiesties most honorable priuie Counsell, my very good Lord: health and prosperitie with increase of all spirituall graces in this life, and eternall happinesse in the life to come.
Having had through your Honourable bounty, a part of the Lords Vineyard allotted unto me his most unworthy workman, by your Honour his most worthy Steward, to the end I should plant and water, purge and prune it, I thought it my part not only to perform my duty in this behalf, in such measure as God enableth me, but also to present unto your Honour the first fruits of my labour which have yet offered themselves to public view, to the end that I might thereby both show my self not altogether negligent in our great Lord and Masters business, and also give some token of most obliged duty and humble thankfulness to you his Honourable Steward, by whose appointment I have obtained a place wherein I may employ my pains, whereas otherwise I should either have ⟨image 126⟩stood idle in the market place, or else been compelled to have digged in another mans ground, with great labour and little fruit. If these my first fruits seem unpleasant in your most learned and judicial taste, either impute it to the immaturity caused by their short time of growth and small-experienced skill of the Vintager, or else consider that they are destinated to a physical use for the purging away of choler, and therefore though they be not pleasant in taste, yet may they be profitable in operation. Such as they are (in all humility, craving pardon for my boldness) I commend them to your Honourable Patronage and protection, and your self to the Almighty's, most heartily beseeching the glorious and great Lord of the Vineyard long to continue you his faithful Steward amongest us, to the advancement of his glory, the propagation of his Vine, and the exceeding comfort of his poor contemned Labourers. Amen.