To The Right Honourable Sir Maurice Abbot Knight
TO THE READER
DIRECTIONS TO THE READER
THE CHRISTIAN WORK - —PHIL. 2:12.
GOD WORKS IN YOU - PHIL 2:13
WITHOUT MURMURING - PHIL 2:14
THAT WE MAY BE BLAMELESS - PHIL 2:15
HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE - PHIL 2:16
OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD - PHIL 2:24
IT WAS NECESSARY - PHIL 2:25
HE LONGED AFTER YOU ALL - PHIL 2:26
SORROW ON SORROW - PHIL 2:27
I SENT HIM - PHIL 2:28
RECEIVE HIM - PHIL 2:29
HE WAS NIGH TO DEATH - PHIL 2:30
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
SIR MAURICE ABBOT KNIGHT,
NOW LORD MAYOR OF THE HONOURABLE CITY OF LONDON.*
RIGHT HONOURABLE—My respects unto you, being your honour's engaged many ways, have put me upon a design or project for you; the God of heaven graciously prosper it in my hand! The tenor of it is briefly this: to increase your honour, and to ease the burden of that laborious government which now lieth upon your shoulder.
To mention your name before the glorious labour of so great and worthy an agent in the factorage of heaven as the author of this piece was, and to make you a protector of them, cannot, I conceive, in sober interpretation but be conceived to add honour unto him that hath, and cause him to have more abundantly. Blessed is the wing that is spread over any of the things of Jesus Christ, to shelter them.
Again, to put into your hand, and from your hand into your heart, the remembrance of that God that will gloriously recompense your faithfulness in that great trust committed to you, cannot but (by the blessing of him to whom blessings belongeth) be a cordial means to strengthen your heart in the pang of government, and cause you to travail and bring forth with more ease. There is no labour, nor travail, nor sorrow, nor difficulty, nor danger, nor death, that hath any evil or bitterness in it when heaven is before us, and the truth and faithfulness of the living God embracing us.
If I have miscarried in point of good manners or otherwise in this dedication, your honour shall do but justice to charge your own courtesy and respects always shewed unto me (at least in part) with the blame of it. Had not there been the tempter, doubtless in this case I had not been the transgressor. The God of peace prosper the government of this great city in your hand, and make it a glorious rise and advantage unto you of your greater glory in the heavens.