A COLLECT to be used before Reading the Holy Scriptures. B Leffed LOR D, who haft caufed all holy Scriptures to be written for our Learning; Grant that I may in fuch wife hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digeft them, that by Patience and Comfort of thy holy Word, I may embrace and ever hold faft the bleffed Hope of everlasting Life, which thou haft given us in our Saviour JESUS CHRIST. Amen. Collect for the fecond Sunday in Advent. THE R. 261.3172205 Holy Bible, CONTAINING The Old Testament AND 26028 THE NEW: Newly Tranflated out of the DID GENTRY, Original Tongues, AND BIBLIOTECA With the former TRANSLATIONS Diligently Compared and Revised, By His Majesty's Special Command. Appointed to be read in Churches. LONDON: Printed by Mark Baskett, Printer to the King's most Price Three Shillings Unbound. 112.53 To the Moft High and Mighty Prince, JAMES, By the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. The Tranflators of the Bible with Grace, Mercy, and Peace, through Jesus Chrift our Lord. and were the Bleffings, mft dread Sovereign, Gmighty God, the Father of all Mercies, beflowed upon us the Pepa of England, when first be fent Your Majefty's Royal Perfon to rule and reign over us. For whereas it was the Expectation of many, rubo wished not aquell unto our Sion, that upon the fetting of that by gbr Occidental Star, Queen Elizabeth, of mast happy Memory, fome thick and palpable Clouds of Darkness would fo bare overshadowed this Land, that Men should bave been in doubt wubich Way they were to walk, and that it Bruld hardly be known, who was to dịcɛ the unfersled State: The Appearance of Your Majefty, as of the Sun in his Strength, inftantly difpeted thefe fuppofed and furmifed Mifts, and gave unto all that were well effected excreding Caufe of Comfort; efpecially, ben we bebeld the Government established in Your Highness and Your bopefu; Seed, by an doubted Title, and this alfo accompanied with teace and Tranquillity at Home and abread. But, amongst all our Foys, there was no one that more filled our Hearts, than the bleffed Continuance of the Preaching of Goa's facred Word amongst us; which is that in6Bimable Treafure, which excelleth all the Riches of the Earth, because the Fruit thereof extendeth itself, not only to the Time spent in this tranfitory World, but direɛtetb and atfpoferb Men unto that eternal Ilappiness which is above in Heaven. Then not to fuffer this to fall to the Ground, but rather to take it up, and to continue it in that State, wherein the famous Predeceffor of Your Highness did leave it: Nay, to go forward with the Confidence and Refolution of a Man, in maintaining the Truth of Chriß, and propagating it far and near, is that which bath fo bound and firmly krus the Hearts of all Your Majefty's loyal and religious Prople unto You, that Your very Name is precious among them, their Eye desb bebold You with Gomfort, and they bifs You in their Hearts, as that fanctified Perfon, zubo, under God, is the immediate Author of their true Happi. efs. And thus their Contentment doth not diminish or decay, but every Day incenfere and taketh Strength, when they obferve that she Zeal of Your Majesty towards the Hexfe of God, deth not flack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, maniffling infall Abroad in the furtheft Parts of Christendom, by Writing in Defence of the Truth (avbich bath given fuck a Blow unto that Man of Sin, as will not be bealed) and every Day at Home by religious and learned Difcourfe, by frequenting the House of God, by bearing the Word preached, by aberishing ebe Teachers thereof, by caring for the Church, as a most tender and loving nurfing Father. There are infinite Arguments of this right Chriftian and religious Affection in Your Mayfly: But none is more forcible to declare it to others, than the vebement and perpernased Defire of the accomplishing and publishing of this Work, which now with all Humility we prefent unto Your Maj fly. For when Your Highness bad once out of deep Fudge ment apprebended bow comenient it was, that out of the original facred Tongues, sogether with comparing of the Labours, both in our caun, and other foreign Languages, of many wortby Men who went before us, there fhould be one more exact Tranflation of the boy Scriptures into the English Tongue; Your Majefty did never defift to urge and so extite thefe to whom it was commended, that the Work might be baftened, and that the Business might be expedited in fo decent a Monner, as a Master of Juch Importance might justly require. And now at last, by the Mercy of God, and the Continuance of our Labours, it being as that ave bave great Hope that the Church of England ve bold it our Duty to offer it to Your Majefty, not only brought unto fuch a Conclufion, all reaped Fruit thereby Hambly craving of Your moft facred Majefty, that fince Things of this Quality bave ever as to cur King and Sovereign, but as to the principal Mover and Author of the Wort. been fubject to the Cenfures of ill-meaning and difcontented Perfons, it may receive Agprobation and Patronage from fo learned and judicious a Prince as Your Highness. cbfe Allowance and Acceptance of our Labours, ball more bonour and encourage yo the Calumniatoms and bard Interpretations of other Men ball difmay us. So that if on the one side we fall be produced by Popish Perfons at Home of Abroad, whe therefore will malign us, because we are poor Inftruments to make God's koly Truth to be get more and |