IT hath pleased the most wise disposer of all things, by bodily infirmity, to render me unable to be serviceable to his glory and the good of his Church, in my public Ministry: And though I did account it one of the greatest happinesses under heaven, that God was pleased to use me in so honourable a service, yet through mercy, I have learned ⟨image 3⟩to be willing to submit to the good pleasure of God herein, and to say with David, If I shall find favour in the• eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back again, but if he thus say, I have no delight in thee, here I am, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. God hath no need of any for his service, neither may we prescribe unto him in what way he will be honoured by us. If therefore God shall be pleased to make me further useful to the Church of Christ, in publishing of any thing that I have preached: In this I shall rejoice, only let me desire thee to take heed of imperfect notes and false copies that may be injuriously published under my name to the public prejudice; I find that Paul was necessitated to subscribe the salutation in the close of all his Epistles, with his own hand to be the sign in every Epistle, to characterize his own writings from ⟨image 3⟩counterfeits, or such as by forgery should be fathered upon him. A wicked practice which was successively continued by men of corrupt minds, in divers Ages after the Apostles times; neither am I altogether secure from such attempts, having lately had experience of the daring boldness of one to enter that as his copy under my name, the very title whereof carries in it a manifest building again of that which we have destroyed; yea, if others should not go so far, yet the publishing of broken and imperfect notes, may bring no small prejudice, not only to the Author, but also to the Church of God; which is the more to be feared, because it is grown so common a practice for mercenary men, who look no higher then their own private gain, to claim so great an interest in the publishing of ⟨image 4⟩their imperfect copies, as that the Author himself, or those entrusted by him, shall not be consulted withal for the review or correcting of them;
IT hath pleased the most wise disposer of all things, by bodily infirmity, to render me unable to be serviceable to his glory and the good of his Church, in my publick Ministry: And though I did account it one of the greatest happinesses under heaven, that God was pleased to use me in so honourable a service, yet through mercy, I have learned ⟨image 3⟩to be willing to submit to the good pleasure of God herein, and to say with David, If I shall finde favour in the• eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back again, but if he thus say, I have no delight in thee, here I am, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. God hath no need of any for his service, neither may we prescribe unto him in what way he will be honoured by us. If therefore God shall be pleased to make me further useful to the Church of Christ, in publishing of any thing that I have preached: In this I shall rejoyce, onely let me desire thee to take heed of imperfect notes and false copies that may be injuriously published under my name to the publick prejudice; I finde that Paul was necessitated to subscribe the salutation in the close of all his Estiles, with his own hand to be the signe in every Epistle, to characterize his own writings from ⟨image 3⟩counterfeits, or such as by forgery should be fathered upon him. A wicked practice which was successively continued by men of corrupt mindes, in divers Ages after the Apostles times; neither am I altogether secure from such attempts, having lately had experience of the daring boldnesse of one to enter that as his copy under my name, the very title whereof carries in it a manifest building again of that which we have destroyed; yea, if others should not go so farre, yet the publishing of broken and imperfect notes, may bring no small prejudice, not onely to the Authour, but also to the Church of God; which is the more to be feared, because it is growen so common a practice for mercinary men, who look no higher then their own private gaine, to claime so great an interest in the publishing of ⟨image 4⟩their imperfect copies, as that the Authour himselfe, or those intrusted by him, shall not be consulted withall for the review or correcting of them;
