A34679:8
An exposition upon the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation by that reverend and eminent…
An exposition upon the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation by that reverend and eminent servant of the Lord, Mr. John Cotton ... ; taken from his mouth in short-writing, and some part of it corrected by himself soon after the preaching thereof ; and all of it since viewed over by a friend to him ... wherein some mistakes were amended, but nothing of the sense altered.
London: printed for Tim. Smart, 1656
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Christian Reader,
THE tongue of the just, or righteous (saith Solomon, Prov. 10. 20.) is as choice silver. The words that fall from the tongue of such are very precious and profitable. And truly such are the words that dropped from the tongue and lips of this holy and righteous man Mr. Cotton: As he himself had by his own blessed experience found the tongue of that righteous man (Dr Sibbs) as choice silver, yea better then the choicest gold of Ophir, by which the Lord was pleased to convey heavenly and eternal treasure into his soul: Even so also have many precious souls (some now above in glory, others still here below) found the words that have distilled from his tongue to be above much fine gold, and of more weight and value then the greatest treasure of this whole world. Divers that are yet alive, and do remain unto this present, may & can hear witness to the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. But I shall crave leave to name only one now amongst the Saints at rest, who was indeed one of a thousand in his time and place, viz. that great and eminent man, Dr. Preston, whose heart the Lord wrought powerfully upon by the tongue of Mr. Cotton, and that not long after his heart had been seized upon by the tongue of ⟨image 3⟩that sweet Singer before mentioned. And because the story is so remarkable, I shall be willing to relate in brief the substance of what I had sometimes in private from the tongue of this our Reverend Author himself. He being according to his course to Preach before the University & Scholars in Cambridge, had a great conflict in himself about the composing of his Sermon, viz. whether after the plain & profitable way, by raising of Doctrines, with propounding the Reasons and Uses of the same. Or after the mode of the University at that time, which was to stuff and fill their Sermons with as much Quotation and citing of Authors as might possibly be. On the one side 'twas suggested to him, that if he should not go the former way, he should not be faithful to the Lord in seeking his glory, but his own, &c.