Tq TH.E READER. Mong!l: all,~h~ duties I formerly mentioned, I omit~ ted one that now I look upon as chief and choice of all the re!l: : This is the duty I calllookjng1mto Jefw, at"f. if I mu!l: difcover the occafion of my falling on it,I fhall do it truly and plainly, and in tl1dipplicity of the Gofpel:~as Ehus. In tbe Spring t653.l was vi– fire,d with a fore ficknefs, and as the Lord began to re!l:oremy health,it came into my thoughts what my Jefushad done for my foul,and what he was doing,and what he would do for it,tillhe faved it to the uttermof:t. It~ my conceptions of rl}efe things I could find no beginning ofhis aCtings, but in that eternity before theworld was made ; nor could Ifi.~d any end of his aCtings, but in that eternity after the world fhould be unmade ; only betwixt thefe two extremities I apprehended various tranfuetions of Je– fusChri!l:,both pall:,and prefent,and to come. In the multitude of thefe thoughts withinme,my foul exceedingly delighted it felf, and that delight ll:irring up in me other affeCtions (for one affe- . Ction cannot be alone)/ I began to confider of thofe texts in Scrip– ture, which feemed at firll: to impofe the working of my affeCti– ons on fo bleffed an ObjeCt,asaGofpel-duty: then I refolved, if the Lord Jefits would but re!l:oremy health,and prolongmy life, I would endeavour tO difcover more of this Gofpel~dury,, than ever yeti knew : and that my pains~herein might not hinder my other neceffary labours, my purpole was to fall on this fubjeCt in my ordinary preach!ng, wherein Imight have occafion both tO fearchinto Scriptures,feveral Authors,and my own heart. In pro– cefs cif time I began this\~ork, begging of God that he would hell:' me to fini01, as 1-te inclined me to begin, and that allmight tend to his glory, and the Churches good, In the progrefs of my lab_ours Ifound a world of fpiritual comfon,both in refpeCt of the ?bJeCt thatlhandled,JefwChrift,and in refpeCtof~heaet,where1 ~n co~fi!l:ed my duty to him, in lookjng ztnfo Jeflu. t. For the ob" JeCt,tt was the very fubjeet whereonmpre efpecially Iwas bound tO
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