To the Reader.

bright circumference of his glory.

    When I first put my thoughts to paper, God can bear me witness, it was not for any private motives original: "private ends". I was drawn and forced to it by a deep wonder original: "Admiration"—in the seventeenth century, this often meant a sense of awe or astonishment at the mystery and majesty of nature. It was my intention original: "Design" to glorify the truth and, in some measure, to serve the people of this era original: "the Age", had they been capable of receiving it. But the cruel insults I have encountered—and through no fault original: "Deserts"—what one deserves, whether good or bad of my own—have forced my charity to stay within its own doors original: "keep at Home"—meaning the author is withdrawing his goodwill or keeping his insights to himself due to public hostility.

Truly, if I had not been robbed of my peace, I would have shared certain things that I am confident this generation will not receive from any other writer original: "Pen". But the current times do not yet align with divine providence, for the years of discovery have not yet arrived. This truth, like the dove during the Great Flood original: "the Deluge", must hover amid winds and tempests, looking down upon the surges and billows, yet finding no place to rest the sole of her foot. But the