A26981:13
A paraphrase on the New Testament with notes, doctrinal and practical, by plainness and…A paraphrase on the New Testament with notes, doctrinal and practical, by plainess and…
A paraphrase on the New Testament with notes, doctrinal and practical, by plainness and brevity fitted to the use of religious families, in their daily reading of the Scriptures : and of the younger and poorer sort of scholars and ministers, who want fuller helps : with an advertisement of difficulties in the Revelations / by Richard Baxter.A paraphrase on the New Testament with notes, doctrinal and practical, by plainess and brevity fitted to the use of religious families, in their daily reading of the Scriptures : and of the younger and poorer sort of scholars and ministers, who want fuller helps : with an advertisement of difficulties in the Revelations / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for B. Simmons, 1685
Preface: An Account of the Reason and Use of this Paraphrase.
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.
An Account of the Reason and Use of this Paraphrase.
READER,
This Paraphrase, written for my own use, being published for yours, in order to that end I owe you this account of it. A Friend long urging me to write a Paraphrase on the Epistle to the Romans, as being hard to […] understood; when I had done that, I found so much profit by that Attempt, that it drew me to go on till I had finished what I offer you. It was like almost all my other public works, done by the unexpected conduct of Gods urgent Providence, not only without, but contrary to my former purposes. God hath blest his Church with many Mens excellent Commentaries on the Scriptures; and I never thought my self fit to do it better than they have done: But that is best for some persons and uses which is not best to others. I long wished that some abler Man would furnish vulgar Families with such a brief exposition, as might be fitted to the use of their daily course in reading the Scriptures and instructing their Households. I found that many who have done it better than I can do, are too large and costly for this use: some (like De•date) very sound, are unsatisfactorily brief; some have parcelled their Annotations into so numerous shreds, that Readers (specially in a Family course) will not stay to search and set them together, to make up the sense. I like Dr. Hammond's order best, but 1. I differ from him in so much of the matter; 2. and took his stile to be too lax; 3. and his Criticisms not useful to the vulgar, 4. and his Volume too big, and costly: And therefore I chose more plainly▪ and yet more briefly and practically, by the way of Paraphrase, to suit it to my intended end.
THis Paraphrase, written for my own use, being published for yours, in order to that end I owe you this account of it. A Friend long urging me to write a Paraphrase on the Epistle to the Romans, as being hard to understood; when I had done that, I found so much profit by that Attempt, that it drew me to go on till I had finished what I offer you. It was like almost all my other publick works, done by the unexpected conduct of Gods urgent Providence, not only without, but contrary to my former purposes. God hath blest his Church with many Mens excellent Commentaries on the Scriptures; and I never thought my self fit to do it better than they have done: But that is best for some persons and uses which is not best to others. I long wish'd that some abler Man would furnish vulgar Families with such a brief exposition, as might be fitted to the use of their daily course in reading the Scriptures and instructing their Housholds. I found that many who have done it better than I can do, are too large and costly for this use: some (like Dedate) very sound, are unsatisfactorily brief; some have parcelled their Annotations into so numerous shreds, that Readers (specially in a Family course) will not stay to search and set them together, to make up the sense. I like Dr. Hammends order best, but 1. I differ from him in so much of the matter; 2. and took his stile to be too lax; 3. and his Criticisms not useful to the vulgar, 4. and his Volumn too big, and costly: And therefore I chose more plainly and yet more briefly and practically, by the way of Paraphrase, to suit it to my intended end.