To the Christian Reader.
(for ought thou yet knowest) God is the Authour of.
It is hoped; there is none but will finde cause to approve of the worke, and of them that ingage themselves in it; But especially they who any way, at least by silence (a seeming applause) approved the Plantations of Virginia, St. Christophers, Bermudas, this having ends inferiour to none of them, and men (not to compare but to give due honour to all employed in such noble enterprises) promising as much by their usefulnesse, industrie, love to their Countrie, piety, and other qualifications as those did.
It is enough they adventure, that hazard their persons, families and estates, for that worke, which it may appeare to thee ere long thou art bound as well as they to further.
Now it were iniurious, if not impious, not onely to denie the right and benefit of thy prayers to such, but also to loade them with causelesse aspersions (though but in thy thoughts) for that, for which thou hast great cause to praise God for thē, who hath stirred up their spirits to that which hath beene a maine meane of peopling the world, and is likely to be of propagating the Gospell. For the furtherance of whichworke
