To the Christian READER.

IT is the speech of all, almost, and the complait of the most sincere, that these our last and worst dayes, are dayes very wicked, dayes very dangerous, and therfore surely very dangerous, because very wicked; yet if we looke to the meanes of knowledge and of piety, neuer time enioyed larger, or better: Great is Gods mercy, small our amendment. And where's the fault? why our owne con­sciences doe condemne vs, as delinquents, who will not receiue that which Gods mercy would afford vs. Christ may now take vp his Elegies against England, as once against Ierusalem, How often O England, England, would I haue gathered thee as a henne gathereth her chickens vnder her wings, but thou wouldst not. I haue sent my Ambassadors to declare my good will and pleasure to thee, and my loue which I reserue for thy people, if ye would re­turne, [Page] but thou wouldst not. I haue often knockt at the doore of thy heart for entrance, that thou mightest bee enriched with my Spi­rit, but thou wouldst not. I haue offred thee, that, aske and thou shalt haue, knocke, and I will open vnto thee, but thou wouldst not. I haue exhorted thee to crucifie those carnall lusts, which fight against thy soule, but thou wouldest not. I haue beene crucified, dead, and buried, that by beleeuing in mee thou mightest haue life, but thou woldest not. I haue ascended from death to life, that by my ex­ample thou mightst rise from the death of sin to the life of grace here, and to glory hereafter, but for all this thou wouldst not. These or such like words might Christ iustly vse to the most part of the men of England, whose ignorāce is almost grosse & affected, and whose knowledge (except it bee practised) will but augment their condemnation: for this is condemnati­on, that the light is come into the world a­mongst vs, and wee loue darkenesse more then light. We know indeed our Masters will, but will not do it. Or if we haue but so much of the gold of the Sanctuary as wil tip our tongues, & guild ouer our externall cariage, we thinke we haue enough; whereas the heart was requisite in euery sacrifice, and that being first formed, [Page] and giuen vs of God first, should be reformed first and giuen of vs to God againe. But alas, most men now content themselues to liue in this our Church which hates Idolatry, and po­pish superstition, and thinke this will bee suffi­cient to flit them to heauen after death where­as (poore soules) they ought as well to looke to the truth of their profession, as to their profes­sion of the truth, lest he, who is the Way, the Truth & the Life, do for their want of truth, deny them the way to euerlasting life. But if these men, or any other, would in sinceritie, see footing into the wayes of Gods commands, it is then necessary, necessitate á priori, that they first know what it is which God cōmands: now this is reuealed vnto vs in his word, and his word must be a light to our feet, and a lanterne to our pathes, wee must talke of this when wee rise vp, and when we lye downe, and meditate therein day and night, which that we may doe, we must labour (Christian Reader) to get it into our memories: and to this purpose, at also for a direction to our whole life, is this lit­tle Breuiary of the holy Scripture composed into this forme, which if it profit, let all the praise be giuen to him, who is the Author of euery good and perfect worke. Now if any yet desire to be more curious in prying into the [Page] strictnesse of the Chronologie, I referre such to Herlinus, Gemma Fabri, Funccius, Bero­aldus, Broughton, Pantaleō, Schubertus, Cariom, Lodowick LLoyd, Bucholcerus, and others that haue professedly vndertaken that taske: As for the Graecian computation by Olympiads, and the Caldean, Assyrian, Egyptian and Persian Chronologers, let them agree with them no further then they agree with the holy writ which was 2000. yeares before any of them. Thus intreating thy cha­ritable censure, well-wishing, and prayers, I bid thee farewell, resting