DEDICATION TO KING JAMESTO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCEJAMES,BY THE GRACE OF GOD,KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND,DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, etc.The Translators of the Bible wish Grace, Mercy, and Peace, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord.Great and manifold were the blessings, most dread Sovereign, which Almighty God, theFather of all mercies, bestowed upon us the people of England, when first he sent YourMajesty's Royal Person to rule and reign over us. For whereas it was the expectation ofmany who wished not well unto our Sion, that, upon the setting of that bright OccidentalStar, Queen Elizabeth, of most happy memory, some thick and palpable clouds of darknesswould so have overshadowed this land, that men should have been in doubt which waythey were to walk, and that it should hardly be known who was to direct the unsettled State;the appearance of Your Majesty, as of the Sun in his strength, instantly dispelled thosesupposed and surmised mists, and gave unto all that were well affected exceeding cause ofcomfort; especially when we beheld the Government established in Your Highness andYour hopeful Seed, by an undoubted Title; and this also accompanied with peace andtranquility at home and abroad.But among all our joys, there was no one that more filled our hearts than the blessedcontinuance of the preaching of God's sacred Word among us, which is that inestimabletreasure which excelleth all the riches of earth; because the fruit thereof extendeth itself, notonly to the time spent in this transitory world, but directeth and disposeth men unto thateternal happiness which is above in heaven.Then not to suffer this to fall to the ground, but rather to take it up, and to continue it inthat state wherein the famous Predecessor of Your Highness did leave it; nay, to go forwardwith the confidence and resolution of a man, in maintaining the truth of Christ, andpropagating it far and near, is that which hath so bound and firmly knit the hearts of all YourMajesty's loyal and religious people unto You, that Your very name is precious amongthem: their eye doth behold You with comfort, and they bless You in their hearts, as thatsanctified Person, who, under God, is the immediate author of their true happiness. Andthis their contentment doth not diminish or decay, but every day increaseth and takethstrength, when they observe that the zeal of Your Majesty toward the house of God dothnot slack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, manifesting itself abroad in thefarthest parts of Christendom, by writing in defence of the truth, (which hath given such ablow unto that Man of Sin as will not be healed,) and every day at home, by religious andlearned discourse, by frequenting the house of God, by hearing the Word preached, bycherishing the teachers thereof, by caring for the Church, as a most tender and lovingnursing father.There are infinite arguments of this right Christian and religious affection in YourMajesty; but none is more forcible to declare it to others than the vehement andperpetuated desire of accomplishing and publishing of this work, which now, with allhumility, we present unto Your Majesty. For when Your Highness had once, out of deepjudgment, apprehended how convenient it was, that, out of the Original sacred Tongues,together with comparing of the labours, both in our own and other foreign languages, ofmany worthy men who went before us, there should be one more exact translation of theHoly Scriptures into the English Tongue; Your Majesty did never desist to urge and to excitethose to whom it was commended, that the Work might be hastened, and that the businessmight be expedited in so decent a manner, as a matter of such importance might justlyrequire.And now at last, by the mercy of God, and the continuance of our labours, it beingDedication Page 1 of 2mk:@MSITStore: