A posing question, put by the wise man, viz. Solomon, to the wisest men concerning making a judgment of the temporal conditions : wherein you have the ignorance of man (in knowing, what is good, or evil, for man in this life) discovered, together, with the mistakes that flow from it : and the great question resolved, viz. whether the knowledg of, what is good for a man in this life, be so hid from man, that no man can attain it / preached at the weekly lecture at Upton ... by Benjamin Baxter ...

To the much HONOURED, AND TRULY VERTUOUS, M^rs. PENELOPE LECHMERE; Wife to Nicholas Lechmere, of HANLY-CASTLE, Esq

Madam,

AS nothing is more usu∣al, then for those, who write Books, to De∣dicate them to some Person or other: So it's as usual with those that do it, to make known to the World, the Reason of such their De∣dication; and, Why to such a Person.

Among other reasons, none are more frequently alleadged, then Eminent Favours received. Madam, If I would make these the Reasons of my De∣dicating this Book to you, it were sufficient to satisfy any, Why I have pitched upon you, rather then upon another. I could tell the World, What a grear Debtor you have me to you, especially in this day, wherein the Hand of the Lord hath been, and still is, very heavy upon me: You have been a Nurse, and very much of a Physitian to me; You have ministred to my Necessities; You have often cheared me with your Visits; Yea, you left not, till you had found out, an Able and Eminent Physitian, and brought him to me, under whose hands I at present am, waiting upon God for the Issue. Certainly, these are Favours that are not to be forgotten; and might very well be alleadged, as

the Reason of my Dedicating this inconsiderable Peece to you. But, Madam, under favour, I must tell you and the world, that this Dedication, neither respecteth, nor relates to, any of these. The only Reason, is, truly this, That there is none, can claim such an Interest in the Book, as your self; and if it be worth seeing the Light, you must be thanked for it. You were the Person, who, for some years last past, did with much impor∣tunity, solicit me to the Printing and Publishing of these Sermons; You rested not, till you had obtained a promise from me, of doing it; When my Copy was finished, you were im∣patient till it were sent to the Press; and when it was in the Press, in all your inquiries after it, you were pleas∣ed to Stile it by the Name of Your Book. So many wayes have you been pleased to make it your own, that I

should have wronged you very much, if I should have denied you, the right you have to it. And now Madam, having given you this accompt of the Reason of my Dedicating this Book to you, I shall next give you, a brief accompt of the Book it self. It Treats of a Subject, which few or none (that I know of) have written of, (I mean) so as to make it the sole Subject, of a full and just Discourse. It is a Sub∣ject, that Universally respecteth all, of what Degree or Quality soever, High and Low, Rich and Poor; yea, the Highest, and the Lowest; The King that Sits upon the Throne, and the Beggar that fits upon the Dung∣hill. GOD, the Great Founder, and Framer of Conditions, hath not made all men, equal and alike in re∣spect of Stature, (Saul, was taller than the people, by the head and shoulders) no more hath he made all equall, in 〈1+ pages missing〉〈1+ pages missing〉