Sermon 8 April 1643
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A77003.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
Exon. April 8. 1643.
H Aving lately seen a Pamphlet, mis-called a Sermon, and fathered upon my name, under this Title, [A Sermon preached in Exon, before the Deputy Livetenants, Captains, &c. in the County of Devon, by John Bond, Minister of the word of God in the City of Exon] The text being, Prov. 25. v. 5. and perusing those broken notes upon it, contained in some 35 pages. I thought it my duty (so soon as I could recover myself from astonishment at the injurious boldness of the publisher, T. B. ) to tell the world, that not only myself, but, which is far more near me, the very Cause, Text, and Reader, are abused in that bastard-copy. I may not, for the matters sake, be forced to hatch a Cuckco's eggs, or to father another's bratt, especially when tis a monster.
And therefore mine entreaty to the Reader of these lines is this, that for his own sake as well as mine, he would save the labor of reading those shreds, or at least the charges of buying them; and if he will needs see something of mine upon that Text, let him but hold-in his purse, and lay-out a little patience in staying a few weeks (perhaps days) until I can finish my beginnings upon that Scripture, and then he may have the Commodity at first hand, perhaps cheaper and sweeter then it can come from such regrating, and soyling Hucksters. Mean while, pray for him that is,
The Causes Jo. Bond.
April.