Sixe evangelical histories of water turned into wine. The Temples purgation. Christ and Nichodemus. Iohns last testimonie. Christ, and the woman of Samaria. Thr rulers sonnes healing. Contayned, in the 2. 3. and 4. chapters of St. Iohns Gospell: opened and handled by the late faithfull seruant of God, Daniel Dyke, Batchelour in Diuinitie. Published since his death, by his brother I.D.

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND VERTVOVS LADY, my singular good Patronesse, the Lady FINCH.

Right Worshipfull:

THE twelue Apostles, Apoc. 12.1. are compared to twelue Starres, vpon her head was a crowne of twelue starres: Now as one star differs from another starre in glory, so was it with those select and chosen vessels, our Lords Apostles. They were all, as it is said of the Bap∣tist, shining, and burning lampes, yet with such a di∣uersity of brightnesse, as that one of these Stars differ'd from another in the glory of Grace, for vnto euery one of them was giuen grace, according to the mea∣sure

of the gift of Christ. Though all these twelue Starres were beautified with a glorious lustre, from the beames of that Sunne of Righteousnesse, yet there was one of his Disciples which leaned on Iesus bosome, whom Iesus loued, who seemes to haue a more speciall radiancie, and a more bountifull admea∣surement of heauenly light amongst, if not aboue the rest. A Disciple that was loued indeede; for whereas Christ ascending vp on high, gaue some to be Apo∣stles, some to be Euangelists, some to be Prophets; to this one Disciple he gaue all these three. He was an Apostle in his Epistles; In one sense an Euangelist in his Gospell; A Prophet in his Reuelation. And as herein he seemes to haue the preeminence; so in this also, that hee more fully and largely reueales two spe∣ciall Mysteries of our religion. The Mystery of Godlinesse, 1 Tim. 3.16. The Mystery of Vngod∣linesse, or Iniquity, 2 Thess. 2.7. The Mystery of Godlinesse is, God manifested in the flesh; God abased, as I may say, euen beneath Man: The Mystery of Ini∣quitie is, That Man of sinne, exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God. This Mystery is the sum and subiect of his Reuelation; The other of his Gospell. The Mystery of Godlinesse is the great Mystery, 1 Tim. 3.16. The glorious Mystery, Colloss. 1.27. The My∣stery of the kingdome of God, Mark. 4.11. The Mystery of Faith, 1 Tim. 3.9. The Mystery of Christ, Ephes. 3.4. A Mystery which the Angels desire to see, 1 Pet. 1.12. yea, which is seene of them, 1 Tim. 3.16. to wit, with delight, wonder and rauish∣ment, as was fore figured by the Cherubines faces towards the Mercy-seate, Exod. 37.9. Enough to

make vs in loue therewith, and to make vs set our faces and hearts to the Gospell, in which hee is reuea∣led, whom the mercy seate typified; and to that Gospell in which the Doctrines of his Diuinitie, Coeternity with his Father, Person, Office, Merit and Efficacie are so fully handled. I, but this Gospell is hard, and men hap∣pily reading it may be ready to say of it, as the Eunuch of that place of Isaiah, How can I vnderst••nd it, ex∣cept I had a guide? Loe therefore a guide, this small Treatise to helpe to the vnderstanding of some parts thereof, yea, of some such parts as containe the whole doctrine of the Gospell; such as is the conference with Nicodemus, and the Samaritan Woman. There is little of this worke mine owne, saue onely that poore Mite vpon the beginning of the 29. Verse of the third Chapter: yet in as much as I haue euer found your La∣dyship, as Paul speakes of good Widdowes, a Patro∣nesse indeede; conscience of my duety required this testification of thankfulnesse at my hands, to present your Ladyship with the labours, though of another, who was a skilfull builder in the worke of the Lord, a worke-man that needed not to be ashamed. How can a guide doubt of welcome to such as desire to vnderstand what they reade, and to haue that enter∣tained into the parlors and inmost closets of their hearts, which they haue already admitted and recei∣ued (to vse Augustines phrase) into the great hall of their memories? Great persons indeede haue a great aduantage aboue others, in that they may euer haue liuing Libraries about them; yet the dead are none of the worst counsellours, their word is liuely, when themselues dead: And that which lies written by vs,

is alwaies at leasure to be read of vs, if wee be at lea∣sure to reade it. Howeuer, the presence of that cannot be burdensome, which may be present, and absent at pleasure, as Austen speakes. But least my selfe proue burdensome, I cease; commending your Ladyship to the good grace of the Lord Iesus, who multiply and power downe vpon you the riches of his Grace, and make you partaker of the inheritance of his Saints in light.

Epping in Essex. October 16. 1617.

Your Ladyships in all humble seruice, IER. DYKE.

Notes

• 1 Cor. 15.41.
• Ioh. 5.35.
• Ephes. 4.7.
• Malach. 4.2.
• Ioh. 13.23.
• Ephes. 4 11.
• Acts 8.31.
• 1 Tim. 5.5.
• Confess. 10.8.
• Quod scriptum habetur semper vacat ad legen∣dum, cum va∣cat legenti: Ne∣onerosum fit praesens quod cum voles su∣mitur, cum vo∣les ponitur. August. Epist. 1.