To the Reader

It has been one of the glories of the Protestant Religion, that it revived the doctrine of saving conversion, and of the new creature brought forth thereby. Concerning which, and the necessity thereof, we find so much indigitated by Christ and the Apostles (in their Epistles) in those times: but in a more eminent manner, God has cast the honor of this upon the ministers and preachers of this nation, who are renowned abroad for their more accurate search into, and discoveries of it.

First, for the Popish Religion, that much pretends to piety and devotion, and does dress forth a religion, to a great outward gaudiness, and show of [illegible] and will-worship, which (we confess) is intermingled with many spiritual strains of self-denial, submission to God's will, love to God and Christ, especially in the writings of those that are called Mystical [illegible]. But that first great and saving work of conversion, which is the foundation of all true piety, the great and numerous volumes of their most devout writers are usually silent on it. Indeed, they eminently appropriate the word conversion and the thing itself to [illegible] man that renounces a secular life, and enters into religious orders (as they call them) and that doctrine they have in their discourses of grace and free will about it, is of no higher elevation, than what (as worthy Mr. Perkins long since noted) may be common to a reprobate; though we judge not all among them. God having continued in the midst of Popish darkness many to this day, and at this day with more contention than ever, that plead for the prerogative of God's grace in man's conversion.

And for the Arminian doctrine, how low does that run in this great article? This we may without breach of charity say of it: that if they or their followers have no further or deeper work upon their hearts, than what their doctrine in that point calls for, they would fall short of Heaven — though those other great truths they together with it teach, God may and does savingly bless to true conversion, he breaking through those errors into some of their hearts.

And how much our reformed writers abroad, living in continual wranglings and disputes with the adversaries of grace, have omitted in a practical and experimental way, to lay open and anatomize the inward workings of this great work, for the comfort and settlement of poor souls — many of themselves do greatly bewail. And to find them work, and divert them from this, it has been the Devil's great policy (who is at the head of all those controversies, as also ever since Pelagius' time, to this very day) to make that dry and barren plot of ground (namely the naked dispute of the freedom of man's will) to be the great seat of this war (as the Pope did the conquest of the Holy Land, in the darker times, to find all Christian princes work) and there to draw all the forces and intentions of men's minds, drily and in a great part philosophically to debate what power man's will (forsooth) has in the summit and apex of conversion to resist or to accept the grace of God — and so whether moral persuasions only are not sufficient, or that physical predeterminations are not also requisite to conversion. While in the meantime, all those intimate actings of a soul in turning to God — the secret particular passages, both on God's part, and on the soul's part (which are many and various) by which the soul is won over to God and Christ — those dealings the souls of men hold with God and Christ for justifying and sanctifying grace, and for union with him — these have been forgotten, or but superficially and slightly touched upon. Which if our reformed divines would have made it their work distinctly to have insisted on, out of the Scripture and their own experience, that glory would have appeared therein, which would have put a period to all those janglings about free will.

And further, to take a serious survey of the present times in this nation, the temper of professors is such that it cannot enough be lamented. Ordinarily men enter into and take up a profession of religion — and that with difference from others — upon very cheap rates. And do give and receive honor of being such to and from one another upon so slender grounds, that we with grief say, there has been more of profession in these changes, when less of regeneration.

The causes of which are more than of one sort, or than we are able to enumerate. Yet for instance: either because God has in the course of his providence involved the cause of religion, and the vindication of the liberties of the sincere professors of it (formerly so much oppressed) with so high a hand, and outstretched arm — so apparently, that therefore carnal men have fallen in, and mingled themselves (as that mixed multitude of Egyptians who came forth out of Egyptian bondage with the Israelites) and joined issue with it — and learning a little to speak the [illegible] language, and give religion and good men good words, and being for the common cause (as they call it), they have thereby put themselves and been received into the common roll of men well affected in religion, as well as to the public.

Or else (which we cannot but judge and mention as another cause hereof) it has been professedly held forth (by men holy and spiritual) that all that [illegible] not scandalous in their lives, having in [illegible] knowledge, the form of truth, by [illegible]; adding to that some outward [illegible] duties. Such persons we mean, as [illegible] were in our pulpits, plainly [illegible], but civil, moral [illegible] (and [illegible] really but such kind of professors of [illegible], as Mutatis mutandis, are found [illegible] Turks of Mohammedanism; who [illegible] the principles of that [illegible], and are devout in duties to God, [illegible] thereby, through the mere [illegible] of natural devotion, and education, [illegible] laws and customs of that religion; [illegible] also through moral honesty, are not [illegible] in their lives.) Such like [illegible] among us, have been, and that [illegible] a new [illegible] of religion, with [illegible] also from others (the ignorant [illegible] profane) professedly received [illegible] the communion of saints, as visible saints. [illegible] principle, and practice, has (as it [illegible] needs) weakened and debased the [illegible] purer stamp of the doctrine of [illegible] (as then held forth with such evidence of difference from these [illegible] profession) not only by encouraging such boldly to take on them to be [illegible] (as it were) by authority; but also by having checked, and dampened the spirits [illegible] themselves that would teach it, seeing that this real application in practice, and principle, to such moral Christians as saints, is a manifest contradiction to all [illegible] can be doctrinally said in the pulpit to the contrary, concerning the power [illegible] this great work in true saints. And [illegible] the profession of religion has been leveled, and diffused into that bulk and commonness, that the true marks of saving graces, are (as to the open discerning) much worn out, and will be more and more, if this should obtain.

Or else (as great a cause as any other) a special profession of religion being [illegible] mode, and under countenance: Hence many have been easily moved to see what might be in religion, and so attend to what is said about it; and upon listening to it, their spirits have been awakened, and surprised with some light, and then with that light they have grown inquisitive into what this or that party of religion holds; what the other, or what a fourth. And thinking themselves at liberty (as the principle of the times is) to choose (as men in a market) what that light will lead them to; they accordingly fall in, either with this, or that particular persuasion: and this is all of many men's conversion. And yet because such become zealously addicted to such, or such a [illegible] (some of the professors of each of which, others that differ, own as truly godly) therefore they are presently adopted, and owned as saints, by the several followers of such opinions: and each sort thinks much, that those who embrace their opinion, should not be accounted, and esteemed religious [illegible] all others, that do sincerely [illegible] the power of it. Thus men tithe [illegible] and cumin, and leap over the great [illegible] [illegible] regeneration, namely, [illegible] for sin, the [illegible] sense of their natural condition, the difficult work of faith, to [illegible] them, union and closing with Christ, mortification of lusts, etc. which works where they are found, and visibly held forth, none are to be disowned for other opinions consistent with the [illegible]; yet so, as without these, no opinion, of whatever elevation, can, or does constitute a man religious.

Now look, as when among the Jews, religion had run into factions, and parties, and the power of it thereby, was [illegible] lost; God then set down John [illegible] among them, a sour and severe preacher, and urger of the doctrine of [illegible], and preparative humiliation for sin (which he comparatively to what was brought in by Christ, terms the baptism of water) though with all it is said, that in the close of his doctrine, [illegible] pointed to Christ; saying to the people, that they should believe on him that should come after him; that is, on Jesus Christ. Yet this he did but [illegible] at: for the full [illegible] of his dispensation ran in that other channel. Of whose ministry [illegible] is also said (Luke 1:16-17), that [illegible] of the children of Israel should he turn to [illegible] Lord, their God. And shall go before him (namely Christ) in the spirit and power of [illegible] to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the [illegible] of the just to make ready a people [illegible] for the Lord. The meaning of which is, he came to restore the doctrine of [illegible] conversion, and in that point [illegible] bring and reduce the children of the [illegible] back again to the same [illegible] and ways (necessary to salvation) [illegible] which the fathers, and all the [illegible] saints of the Old Testament [illegible] been brought in to God. And [illegible] by that means to become of the same religion (saving conversion being the [illegible] practical foundation and center [illegible] all religion) that the godly Jews [illegible] old were of. So what do we know, but [illegible] God (in some lesser, proportionate [illegible], both in respect of [illegible] persons and times) may have had this in the eye of all wisely designing providence to set out this great author's works and writings (among the labors of others also) upon this very argument, to bring back, and correct the errors of the spirits of professors of these times (and perhaps by urging too far, and insisting too much upon that as preparatory, which includes indeed the beginnings of true faith, (and a man may be held too long under John Baptist's water) to rectify those that have slipped into profession, and leapt over all both true and deep humiliation for sin, and sense of their natural condition; yes and many over Christ himself too, professing to go to God without him. However, this we may say (without diminution to any other or detraction from the author himself, in respect of his [illegible] raised knowledge of Christ and [illegible] free grace) that if any of our late preachers and divines came in the [illegible] and power of John Baptist this man did.

This deeply humbled man, and as [illegible] raised, both in faith and [illegible] with Christ, the Author of [illegible] treatises. He had been trained up [illegible] his youth, in the experience and [illegible] of God's dispensations and [illegible] this way; and versed in digging [illegible] the mines and veins of Holy [illegible], to find how they agreed with his [illegible]. His soul had [illegible] the intricate meanders, and the [illegible] (through temptations) [illegible] of this narrow passage and [illegible] into life (and few there be that [illegible] it.) And by deep reflections upon [illegible] step of God's procedure with [illegible], has descried those false and [illegible] by-ways, which at every step, [illegible] man (who errs in his heart, not [illegible] the knowledge of God's ways) is apt to [illegible] astray when they have but inferior [illegible] of the Spirit on them, from [illegible] way of life, which only those do [illegible] that are unerringly guided by the [illegible] Spirit (peculiar to the elect) into [illegible] ways of peace.

And whereas there has been published long since, many parts and pieces of this author, upon this argument, sermon-wise preached by him here in England (which in the preaching of them did enlighten all those parts), yet having been taken by an unskillful hand, which upon his recess into those remoter parts of the world, was bold without his knowledge or consent to print and publish them (one of the greatest injuries which can be done to any man), it came to pass his genuine meaning, and this in points of so high a nature, and in some things differing from the common opinion, was diverted in those printed sermons from the fair and clear draft of his own notions and intentions, because so utterly deformed and misrepresented in multitudes of passages; and in the rest but imperfectly and crudely set forth.

Here, in these treatises, you have his heart from his own hand, his own thoughts drawn by his own pencil. This is all truly and purely his own, not as preached only, but as written by himself in order to the press; which may be a great satisfaction to all that honored [illegible] loved him (as who that was good, and knew him, did not?), especially [illegible] that received benefit by those [illegible] imperfect editions. And we cannot but look at it as a blessed providence of God, that the publishing of the same by others (in that manner that has been mentioned) should have provoked him, and that by the excitation of the church (of which he was the pastor in New England) to go over again the same materials in the course of his ministry among them, in order to the perfecting of it by his own hand for public light, thereby to vindicate both himself and it from that wrong which otherwise had remained forever irrecompensable.

And hereby it came to pass (that so far as he has proceeded) this subject came to have a third treatment in the heart and head of him that was one of the most experienced Christians, and of acutest abilities that have been living in our age. He preached more briefly of this subject first, while he was [illegible] and catechist in Emmanuel College in Cambridge. The notes of which, were then so esteemed, that many copies thereof were by many that heard not the sermons, written out, and are yet extant by them. And then again, a second time, many years after, more largely [illegible] Great Chelmsford in Essex; the [illegible] of which, was those books of [illegible] that have gone under his name. And last of all; now in New England, and [illegible] in, and to a settled church of saints, to which the promise is made of being the seat and pillar of truth; and [illegible] which all ordinances set as the lodestone in the steel, have the greater power and energy: in which the presence of Christ breaks forth, and all [illegible] springs are found therein.

And truly we need not wonder [illegible] God set his heart and thoughts to work [illegible] much, and so repeatedly about this subject. We see that the Holy Ghost himself, the author of this work of conversion, does sometimes, and that in an [illegible] manner, go over the whole of that work again and again in the hearts of Christians, whom God means to make great in his church: as in Peter, when [illegible] are converted, etc., who was yet [illegible] already. And to the disciples, Except you be converted, etc. And the [illegible] of the Holy Ghost upon them, at, and [illegible] Pentecost, was as a new conversion [illegible] them, making them to differ [illegible] much from themselves, in what they were before, as well-nigh they themselves [illegible] before truly wrought on) did [illegible] differ from other men. The [illegible] of God himself goes over this work [illegible] in all the parts of it: as to [illegible] anew, to draw to Christ, to change and [illegible] the heart to higher strains of [illegible]. And when so, then his second [illegible] excels the first, that it comes not into mind; and his third the second, [illegible] it ceases (as it were) to be remembered (as the prophet in other works of wonder speaks) for thereby he every [illegible] spiritualizes the heart still more, [illegible] it from hypocrisy, and makes it [illegible] refined; causes the heart to come forth from each new cast and molding with a deeper and fairer impression [illegible] his image and glory. If then the Holy Ghost (the writer of his law in the heart) set that high value upon that work [illegible] his, that he vouchsafes to take [illegible] pains to write it over and over again in the same tablet; let it be no diminution to this great author, but let us bless God rather for the providence, that the same divine hand and Spirit should set him this task, to take the doctrine of [illegible] work into a second, yes, a third review; and thereby make it as it were, the [illegible] the work of his life.

Only thus it is, that the other great points, as union with Christ, justification, adoption, sanctification, and glory (which subjects, as he was able for, so his heart was most in them) he has left unfinished: and so thereby (as is most likely) multitudes of precious, yes, glorious thoughts, which he might have reserved (as often falls out to preachers and writers) for those higher subjects, as the close, and center, and crown of what preceded, as preparative to it, are now perished, and laid in the dust with him. None but Christ was ever yet able to finish all that work which was in his heart to do. Farewell.

Thomas Goodwin, Philip Nye.