lose his own soul?
change for his soul?"
sent into the world?
concerns in it? Is it not to learn to know, and to
do the will of your Creator? Consider, whether
all the time God hath given you, hath been well
used, before you charge God foolishly. What be-
came of the time of childhood and youth, when
God hath so ordered it, that man is unfit for work
and care, pointing it out as the time for instruc-
tion? Why was you not taught the doctrines of
the gospel, and the grounds of the christian reli-
gion then? Let parents, teachers, and yourselves,
share the guilt of this neglect: God's providence is
clear. What have you done on all the sabbaths
you have had, in which, by the laws of God, and
the land we live in, we cease from labor? Here is
one seventh of your life free of the entangling ex-
Add to the former, all the days and hours
spent in feasting, gaming, drinking, sporting, plea
sures of different kinds, and perhaps a great deal
in indolence and sloth, it will be found the highest
injustice in men, to complain for want of time, who
can spare so much to superfluous, trifling, and
often wicked purposes. When that time, which is
now devoured in vain pursuits, anxious or inordi-
nate cares, idle extravagancies, and vicious plea-
sures, is restored to you, you will have enough to
answer all the calls of religious enquiry. You
will prosecute your callings with christian dili-

What shall a man give in ex-
Pray, for what end was you
What is your most material

cuse.

gence, and find the sweetest refreshments, in such days and hours as you appropriate to the momentous concerns of an everlasting state.

As to the following work, be assured, brethren, that to assist you in the further exercise of that commendable duty of enquiry after truth, I have spent some time in illustrating from revelation, some points in religion, which the generality of professed christians seem either to neglect the right understanding of, or by certain means have mistaken notions about: and as the right knowledge of God is the true foundation of all the right understanding we can have in religion, I thought proper, first, to present to your consideration, what I find revealed concerning God. This I have done in the first and second parts: but as my sentiments on that subject, do not coincide with the common established doctrine in the schemes of religion, adopted by professed christians, it was therefore necessary to examine these, that the reasons may appear why I differ from them. This makes a third part.

I have not said any thing more in any of the parts than truth obliges me, according to the most serious view I can at present take of it; and I hope no consideration whatever shall prejudice me so far, as to make me deny or dissemble, what the

conviction of my own mind from the word of God requires me to confess. I have made revelation alone the rule of my judgment, not any opinions or schemes of men. Notwithstanding, I do not maintain, that I have every where either fully or infallibly given the sense of revelation; the weakness and imperfections of the man will appear in all his endeavors, to set things of this kind in a clear light, however honest and impartial he may be. But I am satisfied, you will not find any of these subtle arts commonly employed, either to color a bad cause, or perplex a good one. Intricate refinements, forced constructions, and evasive distinctions, are carefully avoided. Plain reasoning, founded on scripture evidence, and adapted to plain and honest minds, is studied through the whole. But if any of my readers are so wedded to any particular scheme, as to think it sinful to offer any further light on the subject, they may let this book alone: for I can assure them, it is not adapted to any scheme, farther than I judged they agree with revelation.

But as to you, my brethren, who dare think closely and freely, I hope you will accept in good part what is well meant. If you receive any profit return thanks to God, to whom alone all praise is due: but if you judge that I have fallen short of the truth, or mixt it in any particular, in this case you will mind the common rule of justice, to do to

F

me, as reason and revelation will tell you, I ought to do to any of you, were you the author, and I the reader. I do not thus bespeak my readers, because so scrupulous with regard to consequences as many are. I not only choose to seek, but to speak the truth: and it breeds comfort upon every new reflection, that divine providence hath preserved me from these servile restraints, in which many are involved from particular connections, the view of preferment, and the supposed sweets of an ambitious life. When any truth begins to open, I am not upon the reserve, lest I should push the discovery too far, a caution strictly attended to by such as are trained up in the trammels of a church, whose religion is all settled in a system, which the light of truth is ready to expose as derived from error, or superstition; and imposed upon many to serve the interests of a few. Such are commonly fired with rage against those who discover truth, and persecute under pretence of glorifying God. But whatever others may think on this subject, I content myself with the discharge of my duty to you, brethren, by a free declaration of my sentiments, and indulge the same liberty to every one else. But you must not be surprized, if I leave the common tract of interpreters, even the most admired for orthodoxy; as I freely decline any regard to them as a rule in believing for myself, or shewing to others the truth taught in the word of God.

Hence, you need not think it strange, that I have cited no human authorities for proof of any thing advanced: these I have purposely neglected; first, because human authorities have been so fre quently ensnaring to readers, by determining their judgment according as the men or books were, or were not their favorites. With such readers, a favorite author is of more weight than several plain texts, and therefore they are in danger of receiving error for the sake of good company: also, because human authorities cannot prove any truth in religion. If they are added to scripture texts, it insinuates that the scripture is not sufficient without them. If they are used alone, it is either that they are expected to have more effect upon the reader than scripture, or because there are not any texts that will prove the point, which is enough to bring both it and the human authorities under suspicion. I confess there are several borrowed sentiments in the following work: but as I have, to the best of my knowledge, adopted nothing but what is agreeable to scripture, it is no matter of moment to the reader whose they are, if he finds them to be truth.

I mit also notice, that though one text is sufficient to prove any doctrine, if it is plainly expressed or implied in it; yet I have often added several texts to prove one point, because the same text does not always appear to be so conspicuous a proof of the same point to different persons; and