To the Parliament

Sirs,

My hope that some impression may possibly remain upon your hearts and spirits, of, and from the things delivered to you in the ensuing sermon, make me willing to the obedience of presenting it to you, upon your command in this manner. Were I not persuaded, that your peace, interest and concernment is expressed therein, and knew not with what simplicity of heart you were minded thereof, I should have chosen on many accounts to have waved this duty. But having now performed what is incumbent on me, to render this service useful, recommending it yet further to the grace of God, I humbly beg that it may not in this return to you, be looked on as a thing of course and so laid aside, but be reviewed with that intension of spirit which is necessary in duties of this importance; whereby you may manifest that your command to this service, was grounded on a sense of some advantage to be made by that performance of it. Sundry things I confess that were spoken to you, are gone beyond my recovery, having had their rise from the present assistance which God was pleased to afford in the management of the work itself. The sum of what was provided before hand and no otherwise, without the least addition, is here presented to you, with hearty desires, that the vision of the truth herein considered may be to them that love you, and the accomplishment thereof be found in the midst of you. So prays

Your humblest servant in our dear Lord Jesus: John Owen. Novemb 17.