Amongest many reasons, (needless now to rehearse) inducing me, to offer this small Treatise unto your Worships; this was not the least, to wit, that thereby, I might testify, as my unfeigned good will ⟨image 55⟩towards you in the Lord, so the care that I have in all holy love, to build you up in the sincere judgement of the points and principles of Christian religion. For, though I doubt not, but that you are in some good measure endued, with sundry good gifts and graces form God, which should be continual spurs and provocations unto you, to employ your selves to the uttermost of your powers, in the service of his Majesty, and the obedience of his will: yet, in respect of the corruption of mans nature, and the stumbling blocks, which Satan our common adversary casteth in our way, to hinder us, in the race and course of godliness I know that all Gods children, and therefore you amongest the rest, have need of continual remembrancers, not only to put you in mind, but also to provoke you, to pass the days of your pilgrimage in the reverent fear of Gods great Majesty: and being sound in zeal, sincere in knowledge, and careful in practise, to finish your course in his faith, that so at the ⟨image 55⟩last, you may be made thorough Christ, partakers of eternal salvation, which is the end of our hope a d faith, yea, the very end of our life in this life: and therefore good reason, that we should employ our whole life thereto, and to the continual use & practise, of all the means that God hath ordained for our better attaining thereof, and namely that we should be often and earnest with him in prayer: that we should delight in, and labour to profit by the daily hearing, reading, meditating, and conference of & in his holy word; and that we should frequent the reverent and ordinary use of his Sacraments, appointed for the strengthening of our faith, in the trueth of his promises, growing, even to this narrowness and straitness of onscience, that we should think every day and every hour of a day ill spent, wherein we have not profited somewhat towards godliness and honesty.
AMongest many reasons, (needlesse nowe to rehearse) inducing mee, to offer this smal Treatise vnto your Worshippes; this was not the least, to weet, that thereby, I might testifie, as my vnfeigned good will ⟨image 55⟩towardes you in the Lord, so the care that I haue in all holy loue, to buyld you vp in the sincere iudgement of the pointes and principles of Christian religion. For, though I doubt not, but that you are in some good measure endued, with sundry good giftes and graces form God, which should be continuall spurres and prouocations vnto you, to imploy your selues to the vttermost of your powers, in the seruice of his Maiestie, and the obedience of his will: yet, in respect of the corruption of mans nature, and the stumbling blockes, which Sathan our common aduersarie casteth in our way, to hinder vs, in the rase and course of godlinesse I know that all Gods children, and therefore you amongest the rest, haue neede of continuall remembrancers, not onely to put you in minde, but also to prouoke you, to passe the dayes of your pilgrimage in the reuerent feare of Gods great Maiestie: and being sound in zeale, sincere in knowledge, and carefull in practise, to finish your course in his fayth, that so at the ⟨image 55⟩last, you may be made thorough Christ, partakers of eterrall saluation, which is the end of our hope a d fayth, yea, the verie ende of our life in this life: and therefore good reason, that wee should imploy our whole life thereto, and to the continuall vse & practise, of all the meanes that God hath ordeined for our better attayning thereof, and namely that we should be often and earnest with him in prayer: that we should delight in, and labour to profite by the daily hearing, reading, meditating, and conference of & in his holy word; and that wee should frequent the reuerent and ordinarie vse of his Sacramentes, appoynted for the strengthening of our fayth, in the trueth of his promises, growing, euen to this narrownesse and streightnesse of onscience, that we should thinke euery day and euerie hower of a day ill spent, wherein we haue not profited somewhat towardes godlinesse and honestie.
