Having thus contributed my endeavour in this Preface to the furtherance of the design of this excellent Book. I must tell thee, Reader, that I take it for an honour to commend so masculine a birth unto the World: The Midwife of Alexander or Aristotle need not be ashamed of her office. Who the Author of this Treatise was, how h• preached, how he lived, how he suffered (and for what) and how he died, his Life and Letters lately printed fully tell you: and I earnestly commend the reading of them to all, but especially to Ministers, not to tell them what men have been here forbidden to preach Christs Gospel, and for what, nor what men they are that so many years have done it: but to tell you what men Christ's Ministers should be: But say not he killed himself with excessive Labour, ⟨image 13⟩and therefore I will take warning, and take my ease. For, 1. He lived in perfect health all his days, notwithstanding his labours, till after his hard and long imprisonment. 2. It was not the greatest labours of his times of liberty that hurt him, but his preaching 6 or 7 or 8 times a weak after that he was silenced, because he could not speak to all his people at once. O make not an ill use of so excellent an example. Say not like Judas, what needs this waste? His labour, his life, his sufferings, his death were not in vain. The ages to come that read his Life, and read this little popular treatise, and his Call to Archippus shall say, they were not in vain. And though he was cut off in the midst of his age, and his longer labours, and more elaborate writings thus prevented, take thank fully this small but methodical, warm, and serious tractate: Read it seriously, and it cannot be but it must do thee good.
Having thus contributed my endeavour in this Preface to the furtherance of the design of this excellent Book. I must tell thee, Reader, that I take it for an honour to commend so masculine a birth unto the World: The Midwife of Alexander or Aristotle need not be ashamed of her office. Who the Author of this Treatise was, how h• preached, how he lived, how he suffered (and for what) and how he died, his Life and Letters lately printed fully tell you: and I earnestly commend the reading of them to all, but especially to Ministers, not to tell them what men have been here forbidden to preach Christs Gospel, and for what, nor what men they are that so many years have done it: but to tell you what men Christ's Ministers should be: But say not he kill'd himself with excessive Labour, ⟨image 13⟩and therefore I will take warning, and take my ease. For, 1. He lived in perfect health all his days, notwithstanding his labours, till after his hard and long imprisonment. 2. It was not the greatest labours of his times of liberty that hurt him, but his preaching 6 or 7 or 8 times a weak after that he was silenced, because he could not speak to all his people at once. O make not an ill use of so excellent an example. Say not like Judas, what needs this waste? His labour, his life, his sufferings, his death were not in vain. The ages to come that read his Life, and read this little popular treatise, and his Call to Archippus shall say, they were not in vain. And though he was cut off in the midst of his age, and his longer labours, and more elaborate writings thus prevented, take thank fully this small but methodical, warm, and serious tractate: Read it seriously, and it cannot be but it must do thee good.
