The Subject of this following Discourse, now offering it self to thy Perusal is one of the many [Greek or Hebrew] which it hath pleased the Almighty Lord of Heaven and of Earth, to treat of and insist upon, in Drawing up and Publishing to the World the great and glorious volume of his Works: in the Margin whereof they have been frequently placed as Red Letters, Asterisms, or pointing Hands, to awaken unto a more heedful attention and serious consideration, the dead hearted sleeping and secure World of Mankind. To promote this, the best and most blessed end and use, of such tremendous and threatening Aspects of the highest and most Dreadful Majesty, is the pious design of the Reverend and Learned Author, in compiling & publishing this Treatise, & its a thousand pities it should not be attended to and attained by a People so circumstanced as we, English transplanted into, or procreated in these American Deserts, be. The labour and pains it hath cost the Author to peruse and consult so many Writers, ancient & modern, Astronomers, Chronologers▪ & Historians, ⟨image ?⟩is such as will render it very disingenuous, not to give it a graceful and friendly reception and entertainment. He hath therein presented thee with, first, the Theory; secondly, the History of Comets, commonly called Blazing Stars. As to the Theory, there is (to my understanding) as much declared, as it hath pleased the Father of Lights and Fountain of all knowledge & wisdom (hitherto) to discover to poor ignorant Mortals; viz. the result of the judicious thoughts of the ablest and best accomplished Artists, who upon very many accurate, unquestionably true and exact Observations, made by the help of choicest Instruments improved by minds intensely set to search into, and find out the Mystery and Meaning of those abstruse and admirable works of him who is most High; have declared what they conceive most rationally probable. The wisest of Men know that they understand but little part of Gods ways and works; and are not ashamed to confess that in so much things above humane Capacity, they are rather Querists then Adeptists, content to be ignorant of what he is pleased as yet not to discover; our Authors modest expressing himself, showeth he wrote under the influence of so humbling a consideration.
THe Subject of this following Discourse, now offering it self to thy Perusal is one of the many 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 which it hath pleased the Almighty Lord of Heaven and of Earth, to treat of and insist upon, in Drawing up and Publishing to the World the great and glorious volume of his Works: in the Margent whereof they have been frequently placed as Red Letters, Asterisms, or pointing Hands, to awaken unto a more heedful attention and serious consideration, the dead hearted sleeping and secure World of Mankind. To promote this, the best and most blessed end and use, of such tremendous and threatning Aspects of the highest and most Dreadful Majesty, is the pious design of the Reverend and Learned Author, in compiling & publishing this Treatise, & its a thousand pities it should not be attended to and attained by a People so circumstanced as we, English transplanted into, or procreated in these American Desarts, be. The labour and pains it hath cost the Author to peruse and consult so many Writers, ancient & modern, Astronomers, Chronologers▪ & Historians, ⟨image ?⟩is such as will render it very disingenious, not to give it a graceful and friendly reception and entertainment. He hath therein presented thee with, first, the Theory; secondly, the History of Comets, commonly called Blazing Stars. As to the Theory, there is (to my understanding) as much declared, as it hath pleased the Father of Lights and Fountain of all knowledge & wisdome (hitherto) to discover to poor ignorant Mortals; viz. the result of the judicious thoughts of the ablest and best accomplished Artists, who upon very many accurate, unquestionably true and exact Observations, made by the help of choicest Instruments improved by minds intensely set to search into, and find out the Mystery and Meaning of those abstruse and admirable works of him who is most High; have declared what they conceive most rationally probable. The wisest of Men know that they understand but little part of Gods wayes and works; and are not ashamed to confess that in so much things above humane Capacity, they are rather Quaerists then Adeptists, content to be ignorant of what he is pleased as yet not to discover; our Authors modest expressing himself, sheweth he wrote under the influence of so humbling a consideration.
