Preface.
This Age grones under such a surcharge of new Books, that though the many good ones lately published do much ballance the great swarms of ill, or at least needless ones; yet all men complain of the unnecessary charge and trouble many new Books put them to: the truth of it is, Printing is become a trade, and the Presses must be kept going, so that if it were but to shufle out an ill Book, a man may be tempted to keep them at work.
And for Books of devotion and piety, we have seen so many excellent ones of late in our own language, that perhaps no age or language can shew the like; in these the Christian religion is proposed in its own true and natural colours, and rescued from those false representations many are apt to make of it: as if it consisted either in external performances, or in mechanical heats of the fancy, or in embracing some opinions or interests. It is and can be nothing else but a design to make us like God both in the inward temper of our minds, and in our whole deportment and conversation. For this end did Christ both live and die; this he taught by his discourses, and discovered in his life. He died that he might take away sin, not only or chiefly to procure our pardon, which was done by him for a further end; that a universal indemnity being offered through his death, all mankind might be thereby encouraged to enter into a course of holy obedience with all possible advantages, having the hopes of endless happiness, and the fears of eternal miseries before them: having the clearest rule, and the most unblemished example proposed to them; being also sure of constant inward supplies to support and strengthen their endeavours, and an unerring providence to direct all things that concern them. Nor are there any precepts in this whole doctrine, whose fitness and true excellency, besides the authority of the law-giver, has not been fully made good. And the truth of the principles of natural religion, and of the revelation of the council of God in Scripture was never since miracles ceased, demonstrated with fuller and clearer evidence than in our age, both for stopping the mouths of all daring hectors, and for silencing the secret doubtings of more inquisitive minds. And though so grave a subject should have been rather prejudiced than adorned by artificial and forced strains of wit or eloquence, yet as our language was never chaster than now, so these subjects have been handled with all the proper decencies of easy wit and good language.
But after all this, into what a torrent of regrets and lamentations must we break out, when we consider the age we live in. For few do either believe or reflect on those great things. And as if there were a general conspiracy against God and religion, how does the greater part among us break loose from all the ties and bonds of that yoke that is light and easy, and enslave themselves to many base and hurtful lusts and passions: and are not satisfied with being as bad as they can be, but desire that all the world may esteem them such, and glory in their shame; and enhance their guilt by turning factors for hell, studying to corrupt all about them. This sad prospect must needs deeply affect all that either truly love God, or have a tender compassion for the souls of men, and will certainly set them to their secret mournings and wrestlings with God to avert the heavy judgments that seem to hang over our heads; and that he may of his great mercy turn the hearts of the froward and disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
And till God arise and bless his Gospel with more of this success, nothing could be such an effectual mean for convincing the world of the truth and excellence of our most holy faith, as that those who profess and embrace it did walk in all the strictness of a most holy innocent and exemplary life; keeping the due mean between the affectation of moroseness and hypocrisy, and the levities of irreligion and folly. This is the only argument that is wanting to convince the world of the truth of our religion; all people are more wrought on by lively examples set before their eyes, than by any discourses or reasonings how strong or convincing soever. The one is more easily apprehended, and leaves a deeper impression than the other, which does not prevail on us till by frequent and serious reflections we be satisfied about them, and when we hear any one speak well, we are not assured he thinks as he says, but do often suspect he is shewing his wit or eloquence to our cost, that he may persuade us into some opinions that may prove gainful to himself: but when we see a man pursuing a constant course of holiness in the most painful instances which do most prejudice his visible interests, we have all reason to believe he is in good earnest persuaded of those truths which engage him to such a conversation.
After the ages of miracles, nothing prevailed so much on the world as the exemplary lives and the painful martyrdoms of the Christians, which made all sorts of people look with amazement on that doctrine that wrought so powerfully on all ranks, and did raise persons of the meanest educations and dispositions, and of the weaker sex and tenderer age; to do and suffer beyond what their greatest heroes and most celebrated philosophers had ever done. And in those days the apologists for the Christian religion did appeal to the lives of the Christians to prove their doctrine holy, concluding that there could be nothing but good in that doctrine that made all its votaries such. But alas! when we write apologies we must appeal from the lives of most that pretend to be religious, to the rules and precepts of our most holy faith, and must decline the putting the trial of Christianity upon that issue; and though thanks be to God there are beautiful and shining instances of the power of religion among us, yet alas there be too few of them, and they lie hid in a vast mixture of others that are naught.
The two great prejudices the Tribe of Libertines and Ruffians are hardned in against Religion, are 1. that they do not see those that profess they believe the truths of Religion, live like men that do so in good earnest: and I have known them say, That did they believe the great God governed all humane affairs, and did know all we do, and were to call us to an account for it, and reward or punish accordingly in an endless and inchangeable state, they could not live as the greater part of Christians do, but would presently renounce all the vanities and follies of this World, and give themselves up wholly to a holy and exact course of life. The other prejudice is, That for those in whose deportment they find little to blame, yet they have great cause of suspecting there is some hid design under it, which will break out when there is a fit opportunity for it. And they conclude, that such persons are either secretly as bad as others, only disguising it by a decenter deportment, or that all they do is a force upon themselves for some secret end or other. And if there be some on whom they can fasten neither of these (as it is hardly possible but one that is resolved to possess himself with prejudices, will either find or pretend some colours for them) then at last they judge such persons are moross and sulien, and find either from the disposition of their Body or their Education as much satisfaction in their sour gravity, as others do in all their wanton and extravagant follies.
These prejudices, especially the first, must be discussed by real Confutations, and the strict conduct of our lives, as well as our grave and solemn devotions must shew we are over-ruled by a strong belief of the authority of that Law which governs our whole actions. Nor will our abstaining from gross Immoralities be argument enough, since even decency may prevail so far (though alas never so little as now when fools do so generally mock at the shame and sense of sin, as if that were only the peevishness of a strict and illiberal education) but we must abstain from all those things that are below the gravity of a Christian, and strengthen a corrupt generation in their vices. What signifies endless gaming, especially when joined with so much avarice and passion as accompany it generally, but that people know not to dispose of their time, and therefore must play it away idly at best. What shall be said of those constant crouds at Plays (especially when the Stage is so defiled with Atheism, and all sorts of Immorality) but that so many persons know not how to fill up so many hours of the day, and therefore this contrivance must serve to wast them, and they must feed their eyes and ears with debauching objects, which will either corrupt their minds, or at least fill their imaginations with very unpleasant and hateful representations. As if there were not a sufficient growth of ill thoughts ready to spring up within us, but this must be cultivated and improved by Art. What are those perpetual visits in the giving or receiving of which most spend the better half of the time in which they are awake: And how trifling at best, but generally how hurtful the discourses that pass in those visits are, I leave to those who live in them to declare. How much time is spent in vain dressing, (not to mention those indecent Arts of Painting, and other contrivances to corrupt the World) and all either to feed vanity or kindle lust. And after all this, many that live in these things desire to be thought good Christians, are constant to Church and frequent at the Sacrament. What wonder then if our Libertines seeing such things in persons that pass for very Religious, and having wit enough to discern that such a deportment does not agree with the belief of an account to be made for all we do, conclude they do not believe that, otherwise they would not behave themselves as they do. Some failures now and then could not justifie such an Inference, but a habit and course of those things is an argument against the reality of that belief which I confess I cannot answer.
But when we have got so far as to escape those things that are blame-worthy, it is far from being all we must aim at; it is not enough not to be ill; we must be good, and express it in all the instances which our state of life and circumstances call for. Doing good to all, forgeving injuries, comforting all in trouble, supplying the necessities of the poor; but chiefly studying to advance the good of all peoples souls as much as we can; improving whatever Interest we have in any persons to this end of raising them to a sense of God and another Life; The chief motive we offer to this, being the unaffected strictness of our own deportment, which will make all our discourses have the greater weight and force in them.
And for the other prejudices, it is true, there is no fence or security against Jealousie, yet we ought carefully to avoid every thing may be an occasion of it, as all secret converse with suspected persons, the doing any thing that without sin we may forbear, which is singular, or may bring a dis-esteem on others, or make us be observed or talked of: And in a word, to shun all forced gestures, or modes of speech, and every thing that is not native and genuine. For let men think what they will, nothing that is constrained can ever become so natural, but it will appear loathsome and affected to others: which must needs afford matter of jealousie and dis-esteem, especially to all prying and Critical observers.
Were there many who did live thus, the Atheists would be more convinced, at least more ashamed and out of countenance than the most learned writings or labored sermons will ever make them: especially if a spirit of universal love and goodness did appear more among Christians, and those factions and animosities were laid aside, which both weaken the inward vitals of holiness, and expose them to the scorn of their adversaries, and make them an easy prey to every aggressor. There is scarce a more unaccountable thing to be imagined, than to see a company of men professing that religion, a great and main precept whereof is mutual love, forbearance, gentleness of spirit, and compassion to all sorts of persons, and agreeing in all the essential parts of that doctrine, differing only in some less material and more disputable things, yet maintain those differences with a zeal so disproportioned to the value of them, prosecuting all that disagree from them with all possible violence, or if they want means to use outward force, with all bitterness of spirit. This must needs astonish every impartial beholder, and raise great prejudices against those persons' religion, as made up of contradictions, professing love, but breaking out in all the acts of hatred.
But the deep sense I have of these things has carried me too far, my design in this Preface being only to introduce the following discourse, which was written by a pious and learned countryman of mine, for the private use of a noble friend of his, without the least design of making it more public. Others seeing it, were much taken both with the excellent purposes it contained, and the great clearness and pleasantness of the style, the natural method and the shortness of it, and desired it might be made a more public good. And knowing some interest I had with the author, it was referred to me, whether it should lie in a private closet, or be let go abroad. I was not long in suspense, having read it over, and the rather knowing so well as I do, that the author has written out nothing here but what he himself did well feel and know, and therefore it being a transcript of those divine impressions that are upon his own heart, I hope the native and unforced genuineness of it will both more delight and edify the reader. I know those things have been often discoursed with great advantages both of reason, wit and eloquence, but the more witnesses that concur in sealing these divine truths with their testimonies, the more evidence is thereby given.
It was upon this account that the author having seen a letter written by a friend of his to a person of great honor, but of far greater worth, of the rise and progress of a spiritual life (wherein as there were many things which he had not touched so in those things of which they both discourse, the harmony was so great, that he believed they would mutually strengthen one another) was earnest with his friend that both might go abroad together, and the other pressing him to let his discourse be published, he would not yield to it unless he granted the same consent for his.
And so the reader has both, the one after the other, which he is desired to peruse with some degrees of the same seriousness in which they were both penned, and then it is presumed he will not repent him of his pains.
