HAving seen a paper Printed, reflecting on the person and labours of my Dear Husband Mr. William Strong; I was much amazed, especially it being supposed to have proceeded from men reputed Godly: And now the less wondering, that a Minister of note should be of late deceived by their insinuations, little suspecting (as what honest heart would) that under a pretext of general advantage, such men should drive on designs: who, being once disturbed in their design for profit, stick not with open face to cast unhandsome and unjust reflections on the memory of him, whose works they pretend to propagate and promulge: I need not touch at their reflections (any thing of calumny wiping itself off by its own hand) referring thee to the testimonies Prefacing his Tract of the Heavenly Treasure, or man's chiefest Good, newly extant: I have only a word touching matter of fact, which is clearly thus: One piece after another appearing in Print, done without my privacy, and (according to truth, and experience of such as shall compare these things already done) very imperfect. A friend disperses a small note, advising that the said Copy, named The Saints communion with God, and God's Communion with them in Ordinances, Printed for Geo. Sawbridge, and Robert Gibbs, was an imperfect Copy; which advice of his was really true: This is followed by a scandalous paper from them (as supposed) wherein they tell the world, That Mr. Strong left all his notes under a Character of his own devising, and say, It is impossible any man should publish any things by his own notes. Out of what design they Print so known an untruth, I say not, unless either to raise prejudices against those excellent things he left behind him (not considering how dangerous it is to be laying stumbling blocks in the way of souls: offences may come, but woe be to them by whom they do) or else, (not inconsistent with the former) to spoil mine and my children's benefits, we might otherwise receive by those my husband's labours: There are some things not to be named among Christians: my thinks this is one: The Lord forgive this un-christian dealing, I do: But this I assure thee, on the word of a Christian, the widow of a Minister, and (through God's merey) of good repute: That my said Husband did never in his life time Print any thing but by his own notes, and not as he spoke in the Pulpit, judging that the worser way: And that he wrote Willis his Characters, adding here and there some of his own, sufficiently known to, and understood by that person of honour (and to many others who are able to read them) to whom he committed his notes, many of them in his life-time, with a charge, that if any thing should be Printed, it should be done by them: Directing also to what things (if any) he would have done first: All his things, being ready prepared thereto, and fitted by himself (save only transcription) by his own hand: except only one discourse, lying unstitched (his other things being all stitched by his own hand) in his study at the time of his death; and so displaced by the sad confusions thereof: many things were accordingly in long hand wrote out, and by himself in part looked over ere he died. Some things, good part Printed and done by himself with marginal annotations ere he died: which will all (in God's due time) come out, word for word as himself wrote them, if I may be permitted to have the dispose thereof. Among other things, is now completely finished for the press, that Tract on Heb. 10. 22. which God sending, will carry with it its own evidence; neither is there any licking over his notes, (as the Authors of that paper please to phrase it) more than a careful review, without the least alteration from his notes: Not like that of theirs, concerning which I shall give thee one test: it's not found in all my husband's Notes, wherein he gives more than some few significant Hebrew words, here and there (not whole lines, as in theirs now pubisht) and not any of them ever wrote in a Latin Character. I shall only add, my case is the same with the widow (that may be) of any Godly and able Minister now living: the unjustice is much to me, and the injury to the Church. Let this serve for general satisfaction.  
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