THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY JAN 4 1913 ANDOVER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 33362 RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: Stereotyped and Printed by H. O. HOUGHTON & Co. THE PREFACE. THE Author of these Select Remains (who hath been dead now almoft fifty years) was a perfon of as eminent a character in the religious world as moft ages have produced. He was by principle a Conformist to the establifhed Church of England, and died at WaterStratford, in the county of Bucks, A. D. 1694, having been Rector of that place twenty years. He was certainly a man of uncommon fervour of Spirit in the cause of GOD and religion. His learning was confiderable, his capacity above the common level, and his application extraordinary. For a deep and continual fenfe of religion upon his Spirit he had not many equals; and for an honest and unaffected zeal in the fervice of CHRIST, he had few fuperiors. His mind was fufceptible of the warmest impreffions of devotion. Whatever he uttered (especially if it related to his SAVIOUR) feemed to come from the very bottom of his foul; and the impression it made upon his hearers was owing, in a great measure, to that which they obferved it first made upon him. The fame is obfervable in his writings, which are touched not only with the force and beauty of fine thought, but with the easy and unaffected manner in which it is delivered: Which fhews that it came directly from the author's heart; and it moves us because we cannot but fee it moved him. His Stile is Strong, concife and plain, which of all others is certainly the fittest to convey the warmest fentiments from and to the heart. But the fuccefs of his Minifterial Labours was not fo much owing to his natural Oratory in the Pulpit, as to the Strict and exemplary piety of his conduct out of it. If ever a man made religion his greatest business and pleafure, he did. How much he was in his element when at prayer appears from his frequent discharge of that duty, viz. fix times every day as long as he was able; twice by himself, twice with his wife, and twice with the family. The firft pofture he was in every morning as foon as he was out of bed, was upon his knees; and the fame as foon as he returned from a journey. His religious converfe was neither forced nor affected, but accompanied with an eafy and chearful addrefs; and feemed as natural to him, as worldly difcourfes were to others: Which made it not burdenfome and awful, but agreeable and entertaining. In his fentiments of Church government he was for the established form; in his fentiments of doctrines he was for the Calvinistical Scheme; but far from being a bigot to either, |