"As to this little piece, whatever ye shall findin it, it hath this to say for itself, that whereas many writings in the worlddo intrude themselves upon the press, yet this the press hath violently thrustinto the world; for some young student, from his good affection to theedification of the Lord's people, and, no doubt, from his high esteem of theprecious author's memory, having given into the press a copy of some of theseSermons, being only Notes taken from his mouth when he preached them; no soonerwere they seen abroad, but all the presses in the nation fell a labouring aboutthem; so that, if we mistake not, in less than two or three months time, threeor four impressions were cast off, yet all of them so imperfect and maimed,that howbeit the excellency of the matter, and the fresh remembrance of theworthy author's name, made them very sweet to many, especially those who heardhim preach; yet the unsuitable dress wherein they appeared, and the mistakes ofthe first writers (they being hardly able to take up every thing as it wasspoken) occasioned diverse material failings in the sense, besides lesserfaults, which could not but be a trouble to those who were acquainted not onlywith the singular graces, but parts, also, of the eminent youth. This gaveoccasion to some friends to speak a little what way these prejudices which boththe truth and the author's name might lie under, by these incorrectimpressions, might be taken off. And finding that the copy, which byProvidence, the worthy young gentlewoman who was his wife, had lying by her,though it was but notes taken from his mouth, yet was the most correct thatcould be found; and that also it did contain the whole purposes that he hadpreached upon these texts, yea, the whole purposes concerning faith that he hadpreached, according to that method proposed in the first of the Sermonsformerly published, this was undertaken to be revised by some, who, albeit noneof the fittest for these employments, yet rather than nothing should be done inthe business, were content to bestow some hours upon it, according as othernecessary employments would permit. And now having sought out all the notes ofthese Sermons which we could find from other hands, and compared them with thecopy above-mentioned, we do again present them to the people, not with anyconfidence that our pains have put any effect upon them: only we have somehopes, the whole subject being now before them, and those things in the way ofexpression helped, which either might seem to be somewhat unpleasant, or liableto mistakes, they shall not now be less edifying, nor less acceptable, thanformerly they were. We did not think fit to make any considerable alterationsas to the method, or other things of that kind, lest haply by straining hisexcellent purposes too much, to shape them to the ordinary rules, or to reducethem to that order which might have pleased ourselves, we should have wrongedthe matter itself, or at least have put them to a loss who did hear himpreach."