Two things mightily advance any Work. A true Pattern, and a due Encouragement. I conceive there is no one Text in Holy Scripture, in which both are more closely, or more clearly laid together then in that, handled in the following Sermon. There, you have a Pattern for your Degrees in Working: Most cases call you up to labour, and some to patience: There, you have a Pattern for the special kinds of your work: The removing of those, both Things and Persons, which you ⟨image 3⟩cannot but see are evil: The trying of those which say they are, or are said to be Good, and are not. There, you have a Pattern for the Acceptation of your Persons with God in those works: The spiriting of them with Sincerity, and the crowning of them with Constancy. There, you have an encouragement unto all such works: Jesus Christ observes, and highly approves them All. Your Constancy and Sincerity, your Trying of Hypocrisy and removing of Impiety, The sweat of your Labours and the exercise of your Patience are most pleasing unto Him. Work by these Rules (Worthy Senators) and Peace shall be upon you, and upon the English-Israel of our God. It were very incongruous to detain you long in the Suburbs of an Epistle, to whom (I fear) time can hardly be dispensed to look into the City. The unceasing importunity of the Kingdoms work took off some part of it, and obscured others in the Delivery. Work then presses the soul indeed, when it comes so fast, that it shortens communion with God: A day with whom Fasting is infinitely better then a thousand Feasting-days, though with an Ahasuerus. I have again repaired those breaches with ⟨image 3⟩1the pen: and have sent it somewhat fuller with this second message to your eyes, then it came with the first unto your ears. The Lord make way for it, both as heard and read, into all your hearts: and make you faithful ever, in doing his work, as he will be for ever more then Faithful, Royal, in providing you and yours a reward. I will not interrupt your Great affairs in a Preamble, further then by reading, subscribed,
TWo things mightily advance any Worke. A true Patterne, and a due Encouragement. I conceive there is no one Text in Holy Scripture, in which both are more closely, or more clearely laid together then in that, handled in the following Sermon. There, you have a Patterne for your Degrees in Working: Most cases call you up to labour, and some to patience: There, you have a Patterne for the speciall kindes of your worke: The removing of those, both Things and Persons, which you ⟨image 3⟩cannot but see are evill: The trying of those which say they are, or are said to be Good, and are not. There, you have a Patterne for the Acceptation of your Persons with God in those workes: The spiriting of them with Sincerity, and the crowning of them with Constancy. There, you have an encouragement unto all such works: Iesus Christ observes, and highly approves them All. Your Constancy and Sincerity, your Trying of Hypocrisie and removing of Impiety, The sweat of your Labours and the exercise of your Patience are most pleasing unto Him. Work by these Rules (Worthy Senators) and Peace shall be upon you, and upon the English-Israel of our God. It were very incongruous to detaine you long in the Suburbs of an Epistle, to whom (I feare) time can hardly be dispenc'd to looke into the City. The uncessant importunity of the Kingdomes worke tooke off some part of it, and obscured others in the Delivery. Worke then presses the soule indeed, when it comes so fast, that it shortens communion with God: A day with whom Fasting is infinitely better then a thousand Feasting-dayes, though with an Abasuerus. I have againe repaired those breaches with ⟨image 3⟩1the pen: and have sent it somwhat fuller with this second message to your eyes, then it came with the first unto your eares. The Lord make way for it, both as heard and read, into all your hearts: and make you faithfull ever, in doing his worke, as he will be for ever more then Faithfull, Royall, in providing you and yours a reward. I will not interrupt your Great affaires in a Preamble, further then by reading, subscrib'd,
- 1Hest. 1.
