And sure it cannot be ungrateful to you, to be desired here to stay a little, to make a stand, and pause, and entertain your selves a while with the Consideration of such a Theme and Subject ⟨p. 4⟩as this. Especially it cannot be an ungrateful Contemplation, to such as have known the Doctrine, and Purpose, and Faith, and Charity, and manner of Life, of such a one, as the Apostle speaks; so as to be told of nothing, but what you knew before: And so they are not dubious and uncertain Thoughts, that you are to employ upon such a Theme; you are well assured of the Truth of the Fact, and when you know it to be true, you cannot but discern it to be very considerable and important Truth, and of very great Concernment to you. What the Spirit of such a one has been through his whole Course, you have a very high Example of in this Blessed Apostle; And a Copy has been written out fair, after such a Pattern, by this lately Deceased worthy Servant of Christ. Besides the many Straights and Difficulties, that great Apostle met with in the Course and Current of his Time; he meets with this towards the end of it, to be in a straight between two, and he does not know what to choose, viz. between these two Things, The Consideration of what would be the best and most ⟨p. 5⟩valuable good to himself; and the Consideration of what would be the more valuable Good, unto the Christian Church, and particularly unto these Christian Philippians, to whom he now writes. He had no doubt at all in the Case, but that to depart, and to be with Christ, would be the best and most valuable Good to himself: And it was as little to be doubted of, but that his continued abode and stay in this World, would be much more a valuable Good unto the Christian Church; and unto this or that Church in particular, that had enjoyed, and might further enjoy, his most fruitful Labours. His difficulty and straight, was not either what was best for him, or what was best for them; but which of these two he should, upon the whole, prefer; whether he should prefer his own Private Interest, or prefer the common Interest of Christ in the World. And upon weighing and pondering the Matter with himself, he does prefer the latter, so as, without any kind of Hesitation, to express a great complacency in it, that he should be continued yet longer, some ⟨p. 6⟩time longer, for common good, in this World.
And sure it cannot be ungrateful to you, to be desired here to stay a little, to make a stand, and pause, and entertain your selves a while with the Consideration of such a Theam and Subject ⟨p. 4⟩as this. Especially it cannot be an ungrateful Contemplation, to such as have known the Doctrine, and Purpose, and Faith, and Charity, and manner of Life, of such a one, as the Apostle speaks; so as to be told of nothing, but what you knew before: And so they are not dubious and uncertain Thoughts, that you are to employ upon such a Theam; you are well assured of the Truth of the Fact, and when you know it to be true, you cannot but discern it to be very considerable and important Truth, and of very great Concernment to you. What the Spirit of such a one has been through his whole Course, you have a very high Example of in this Blessed Apostle; And a Copy has been written out fair, after such a Pattern, by this lately Deceased worthy Servant of Christ. Besides the many Straights and Difficulties, that great Apostle met with in the Course and Current of his Time; he meets with this towards the end of it, to be in a straight between two, and he does not know what to chuse, viz. between these two Things, The Consideration of what would be the best and most ⟨p. 5⟩valuable good to himself; and the Consideration of what would be the more valuable Good, unto the Christian Church, and particularly unto these Christian Philippians, to whom he now writes. He had no doubt at all in the Case, but that to depart, and to be with Christ, would be the best and most valuable Good to himself: And it was as little to be doubted of, but that his continued abode and stay in this World, would be much more a valuable Good unto the Christian Church; and unto this or that Church in particular, that had injoyed, and might further injoy, his most fruitful Labours. His difficuly and straight, was not either what was best for him, or what was best for them; but which of these two he should, upon the whole, prefer; whether he should prefer his own Private Interest, or prefer the common Interest of Christ in the World. And upon weighing and pondering the Matter with himself, he does prefer the latter, so as, without any kind of Hesitation, to express a great complacency in it, that he should be continued yet longer, some ⟨p. 6⟩time longer, for common good, in this World.
