And now, dear Friends, such as it is, I here offer it you; and upon the bended knees of my soul, I offer up my thanks to the merciful God, who hath fetched up, both me and it, as from the grave, for your service: Who reversed the sentence of present death, which by the ablest Physicians, was past upon me! who interrupted my public labours for a time, that he might force me to do you a more lasting service, which else I had never been like to have attempted! That God do I heartily bless and magnify, who hath rescued me from the many dangers of four years ⟨image 3⟩war, and after so many tedious nights and days, and so many doleful fights and tidings, hath returned me, and many of your selves, and reprieved us till now to serve him in peace! And though men be ungrateful, and my body ruined beyond hope of recovery, yet he hath made up all in the comforts I have in you! To the God of mercy, do I here offer my most hearty thanks, and pay the vows of acknowledgement which I oft made in my distress, who hath not rejected my prayers, which in my dolour I put up, but hath by a wonder delivered me in the midst of my duties; and hath supported me this fourteen years in a languishing state, wherein I have scarce had a waking hour free from pain; who hath above twenty several times delivered me, when I was near to death: And though he hath made me spend my days in groans and tears, and in a constant expectation of my change, yet hath he not wholly disabled me to his service; and hereby hath more effectually subdued my pride, and made this world contemptible to me, and forced my dull heart to more importunate requests, and occasioned more rare discoveries of his Mercy, then ever I could have expected in a prosperous state. For ever blessed be the Lord, that hath not only honoured me to be a Minister of his Gospel, but hath also set me over a people so willing to obey, and given me that success of my labours, which he hath denied to many more able and faithful; who hath kept you in the zealous practice of godliness, when so many grow negligent, or despise the Ordinances of God; who hath kept you stable in his Truth, and saved you from the spirit of Giddiness, Levity, and Apostasy of this age; who hath preserved you from those scandals, whereby others have so heinously wounded their profession;
And now, dear Friends, such as it is, I here offer it you; and upon the bended knees of my soul, I offer up my thanks to the merciful God, who hath fetched up, both me and it, as from the grave, for your service: Who reversed the sentence of present death, which by the ablest Physitians, was past upon me! who interrupted my publike labors for a time, that he might force me to do you a more lasting service, which else I had never been like to have attempted! That God do I heartily bless and magnifie, who hath rescued me from the many dangers of four yeers ⟨image 3⟩war, and after so many tedious nights and days, and so many doleful fights and tidings, hath returned me, and many of your selves, and reprived us till now to serve him in peace! And though men be ungrateful, and my body ruined beyond hope of recovery, yet he hath made up all in the comforts I have in you! To the God of mercy, do I here offer my most hearty thanks, and pay the vows of acknowledgment which I oft made in my distress, who hath not rejected my prayers, which in my dolor I put up, but hath by a wonder delivered me in the midst of my duties; and hath supported me this fourteen yeers in a languishing state, wherein I have scarce had a waking hour free from pain; who hath above twenty several times delivered me, when I was neer to death: And though he hath made me spend my days in groans and tears, and in a constant expectation of my change, yet hath he not wholly disabled me to his service; and hereby hath more effectually subdued my pride, and made this world contemptible to me, and forced my dull heart to more importunate requests, and occasioned more rare discoveries of his Mercy, then ever I could have expected in a prosperous state. For ever blessed be the Lord, that hath not onely honored me to be a Minister of his Gospel, but hath also set me over a people so willing to obey, and given me that success of my labors, which he hath denied to many more able and faithful; who hath kept you in the zealous practice of godliness, when so many grow negligent, or despise the Ordinances of God; who hath kept you stable in his Truth, and saved you from the spirit of Giddiness, Levity, and Apostacy of this age; who hath preserved you from those scandals, whereby others have so hainously wounded their profession;
