A Saint Indeed

First for the publication of it, take this sincere and brief account, that as I was led to this subject by a special providence, so to the publication of it by a kind of necessity: the providence at first leading me to it was this, A dear and choice friend of my intimate acquaintance being under much inward trouble upon the account of some special heart disorder, opened the case to me, and earnestly requested some rules and helps in that particular, whilst I was bending my thoughts to that special case, divers other cases of like importance (some of which were dependent upon that under consideration) occurred to my thoughts, and this scripture which I have insisted upon, presented it self asa fit foundation for the whole discourse, which being lengthened out to what you see: divers friends requested me to transcribe for their use; divers of the cases here handled: and some others begged me to publish the whole, to which I was in a manner necessitated to save the pains of transcribing, which to me is a very tedious and tiresome work: and just as I had almost finished the copy an opportunity presented (and that somewhat strangely) to make it public. So that from first to last I have been carried ⟨image 5⟩beyond my first intentions in this thing.

First for the publication of it, take this sincere and brief account, that as I was led to this subject by a special providence, so to the publication of it by a kind of necessity: the providence at first leading me to it was this, A dear and choyce friend of my intimate acquaintance being under much inward trouble upon the account of some special heart disorder, opened the case to me, and earnestly requested some rules and helps in that particular, whilst I was bending my thoughts to that special case, divers other cases of like importance (some of which were dependent upon that under consideration) occurred to my thoughts, and this scripture which I have insisted upon, presented it self asa fit foundation for the whole discourse, which being lengthned out to what you see: divers friends requested me to transcribe for their use; divers of the cases here handled: and some others begd me to publish the whole, to which I was in a manner necessitated to save the pains of transcribing, which to me is a very tedious and tiresome work: and just as I had almost finished the copy an opportunity presented (and that somewhat strangely) to make it publick. So that from first to last I have been carried ⟨image 5⟩