These following Notes upon the First Epistle of St. John, falling by providence into my hands, I was unwilling to detain them by me, and make only a private advantage of them, but delivered them into the hands of my Friend, Mr. Thomas Parkhurst, a Bookseller in London, that if by the judgment of Reverend Divines (to whom he intended to communicate the same) they might be found useful for the Public, they might see the light: And having communicated those accordingly to such men whom the whole Nation may justly honour for piety and ability, and finding their approbation, as to their worth, their usefulness, and consequently their publishing, I have thought good to prefix an Epistle; in which mistake not, I neither intend a commendation of the Author or the Work; if I should undertake it as to the Author, I might be answered as Antalcidas did in the like case, to one, who having prepared a Book, he asked of him the argument of it, who answered, it was Herculis Encomium; to whom Antalcidas, Quis illum vituperat? Supervacaneum existimans in eo laudando sumere operam quem uno ore praedicarent omnes: ⟨image 3⟩And the like might justly be retorted upon me, should I go about to magnify the Author of this following Exposition. What needs this? Who ever dispraised, or durst under •alue him▪ He was a burning and shining light, famously […] abroad and at home, as an instrument of great glory to his God, great good to many souls; and (which is an honour that all preachers reach not) with the expiration of his Ministerial breath, he finished not his Ministerial work; for though he be dead, yet he speaketh, as in this, so in divers other excellent Treatises.
THese following Notes upon the First Epistle of St. John, falling by providence into my hands, I was unwilling to detain them by me, and make only a private advantage of them, but delivered them into the hands of my Friend, Mr. Thomas Parkhurst, a Bookseller in London, that if by the judgmenr of Reverend Divines (to whom he intended to communicate the same) they might be found usefull for the Publick, they might see the light: And having communicated those accorddingly to such men whom the whole Nation may justly honor for piety and ability, and finding their approbation, as to their worth, their usefulnesse, and consequently their publishing, I have thought good to prefix an Epistle; in which mistake not, I neither intend a commendation of the Author or the Work; if I should undertake it as to the Author, I might be answered as Antalcidas did in the like case, to one, who having prepared a Book, he asked of him the argument of it, who answered, it was Herculis Encomium; to whom Antalcidas, Quis illum vituperat? Supervacaneum existimans in eo laudando sumere operam quem uno ore praedicarent omnes: ⟨image 3⟩And the like might justly be retorted upon me, should I goe about to magnifie the Author of this following Exposition. What needs this? Who ever dispraised, or durst under •alue him▪ He was a burning and shining light, famously 〈…〉 abroad and at home, as an instrument of great glory to his God, great good to many souls; and (which is an honor that all preachers reach not) with the expiration of his Ministeriall breath, he finisht not his Ministeriall work; for though he be dead, yet he speaketh, as in this, so in divers other excellent Treatises.
