THE PREFACE. from the beginning to the end , for one place which treater, of matters fpecu1ative, wemay find fivehundred which handle things meerly praftical. This then being the fcopeof all revealed truths in Scripture; and the proper end of Theologie, to direct us inour practife, This book wherein all thofe practical truthsare diftinftly handled, and explained, cannot but be of. great ufe to all whofe care is to work out theirSalvation. And if hewas accounted the wifet man among the Heathen by the Oracle, that brought Philofophy out of the Clouds, intoCities and Houles, that is, from air and vain fpeculations, topra ticalprecepts, no doubtbut they fhall becountedwife Scribes intheChurcholt God, that laying afide fruit- lefs-controverfies and Polemick difputes, wherewith peoples heads have been fo troubled, that the power of Religion is in amanner quite loft, bend their ftudies and endeavours to urgethisunç ieceffarium, the pra- ctife ofthole moral and Chriftian duties, wherein ttaaie lifeofReligion con- ffts, and which will bringGlory to God, benefit'to others, honour to our John 7. 17. 'profeflion, and fure comfort to theSoul, when all other comforts fail. This 1'1.'131 1i' 4. prattifing ofwhat weknow, will bethe fureft Antidote againft thegrow- ing Errours andHerefies of the times, for if any manwill do the will of God ( faithChrift ) he (hall know whether the Dottrine beof God or no. hef.:, s 0, Faithand goodconféience go both inabottom, he that letsgo the one,will II. quickly make Ship-wrack oftheother. All Apoftacy, begins in prattife, and Errours in the life produce Errours in Judgement, for when the will is corrupted the underftanding is darkned, and the Apoftle tells us, that thofe which aregiven up to firong delufions, are fuch as receive not the truth in the love of it. Whereas pra Life is a lure prefervative againft defeetion , this will makeaman whole knowledge is lets than others, remain ftedfaft in times of tryal, likea fixedfiar whileothers of greater parts like blazing ftars may ihine.for awhile, but at length vanifh into fmoke. That which is the fcopeof this work, to urge the practife of Religion, andwas nodoubt, the end propounded by the learned Author, when heat firft penned and delivered thefe Lectures; is alto theend aimed at in the publifhingofthemat this time, and though many others have written upon thefame Subject, whole labours I(hall not any way difparage, yet i doubt not, buthe that (hall read and perufe thefe labours of this Reverend Author, will find them tobe as ufeful andprofitable as anyhithertoextant in this kind, andthat they contain, themoft full, compleat, learned, and elaboratebodyof Practical Divinity, that hath beenhither to publifhed, & that fcarce any thing of note is to be found on this large fùbject in any Au- thors, Divineor humane, whichis not herewith addmirable judgwiene, clearnefs of method, and fulnefs of ex reffìon° digefied. And collTider- ing how this fubje t ishandled, neither fuperficially and flightly,as too ma- nyhavedonein our own Language, nor yet, focoldly and Jejunely, as divers ofthe Cafuifts intheir largeand intricate difputes, who inform the Judgement, butwork not upon theaffections at all, but that as the matter is folid in itfelf, fo it is cloathed with emphatical fignificant words, a- dorned with choife fentences, apt allufions ; and Rhetorical ampli- fications out of the belt Authors ; befides pregnant' Applications of Scripture; and fundry critical obfervations 'upon divers Texts not vul- gar norobvious, it will be hard to fay, whether the,profit ordelight ofthe reader
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