To All the Churches of Jesus the Christ

Beloved in Christ, disdain not to read this learned treatise of Master John Cotton, of Boston in New-England, out of any prejudice you may take against the person, or publisher of it. What if some judge him a schismatic? Yet he regards not man's rash censure: seeing he can with holy Paul, that before his conversion persecuted the Church of God, safely apologize for himself; (Acts 24:14) that after the way that you call heresy, so worship I the God of my Fathers; believing all things that are written in the Law, and in the Prophets. Verse 15. And have a hope toward God, which you yourselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just, and unjust. Verse 16. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. But yet this I confess to you, that I am less than the least of all the Messengers of Christ; for I am not worthy to be called a Messenger, or Minister; for I persecuted the Church of God, that professed the faith of Jesus the Christ; that held forth all his royal offices, King, Prophet, Priest, according to his outward administration, in admitting of members into his spiritual kingdom: and sided with the Antichristian Prelates, and Bishops, that denied, that Jesus is the Christ, whom the Spirit of God calls liars, and Antichristians, that denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22). For though I, with the Antichristian Bishops, and Priests, did acknowledge Jesus the Christ, our high Priest that ever lives to reconcile us to God; yet we have persecuted them that hold his kingly and prophetical office to be eternal, as well as his Priesthood, and the gathering of his Church according to his royal commission (Matthew 28:18, 19, 20). Hence it is, that Christ divided, becomes no Christ to the divider; this according to the Vulgar Latin, Solvere Jesum, to dissolve Jesus, that is, to receive him only in part, and not in the whole, which is the spirit of Antichrist. Now when the Lord opened the eyes of my understanding, and convicted me of all the abominations I had done in my spiritual captivity under Antichrist, especially, that I had crucified Jesus the Christ in his members, being pricked in my heart, I trembling cried, what shall I do? The Spirit and the Bride, the Lamb's wife, said; Repent, and be Baptized in the name of Jesus, &c. Then I gladly received the Word, was Baptized, and was added to the Church (Acts 2:38, 39, 40, 41, 42). Yet, by the grace of God, now I am, what I am; and having from some friends, received this learned conference, kept it by me as a precious diamond of great worth, from which my soul, through the great goodness of God, did reap much spiritual comfort. And did wait, hoping that some learned and faithful friends of his, would long ago have printed a larger, and an exacter copy of it: but finding none, (I that am less than the least of all saints) could not any longer conceal it, but thought with myself, I was bound in conscience to publish it, in this learned age, wherein there is so much enquiry after truth, for the benefit of poor, hungry, empty, self-denying spirits; rather than such a learned tract of heavenly light, should always lie in the dust, as unseen, and forgotten. For this cause alone, I have attempted (courteous reader) to present [illegible] your view this learned treatise; not [illegible] that I have any relation to that learned man; nor any command from him [illegible] to do it: but only in love, that this his learned disputation might not be [illegible] buried in silence. Read it therefore (beloved in Christ) not for his sake that publishes it; but for his sake that was [illegible] the author of it; or rather for the God [illegible] of Truth's sake. For whose cause the learned author contends for the faith in these days, wherein the Gospel of Truth has suffered so great eclipses, through the rage and tyranny of the Popish Antichristian Prelates and Priests.

Your that earnestly desires to exalt the Lord Jesus the Christ, in all his royal offices FRAN. CORNWELL.