O Eternall God, \Creator/ of all things and preserver of all that thou hast Created: inspire me with thy praise. which may be most pleassent to thee and profitable to my soules health; for thou art my hope O God⁵ from my youth thou hast taught \me/ even untill now therefore will I tell of thy wonderous workes⁶, that the memoriall of thine abundant Kindnes may never be forgotten; and if thy \will/ be so to draw out the span of my life any longer; yet unto Olde age and gray head O God forsake me not but \untill/ that I have decleared thine arme unto this generation not that I intend to have th[is] published. but to this end I have it in praise a than[k]fullnes to God. and for my owne benefit. which if it may doe my Brother or his children any pleasure I think to leave it them. whom I hope will charitable censure of me and thy power to them that shall come;⁷ Considering the state of man; I know O Lord; that thou Creates him in perfit holines and righttousness but he \in/ not keeping thy commandemet sinned: therein wee have lost our Orriginall rightousnes. by defaceing that thine image; and are not onely subjett to natureall corruption against God being thereby liable to everlasting Damnation; but also commite many acttuall sinns, \thereforr/ finding in my selfe my owne imperfitnes or rather my sinfullnes (for which I am sorry that I have no more sorrow) but if thou Lord straitly markest iniquities; O Lord who shall stand; therefore I flee from the throne of thy justis* to the seat of thy mercy and that throught the humanity of thy Son in whom \thou/ art well pleased;