he will not accufe me as a plagiar;y; And it may be fome little advantage to him, that he bath no tranfcript of any mans Books, which he had before, but the produCt: of fome experience, wnh a naked unbya!fed perceptiOn of the Matter or Things themfelves. 7· Note alfo that the tiJird and (ourtb parts are very much defeClive of what they fl1ould contain, ~bout thePorPir and Go1>tmment ()f Gods officers in (l,urciJ and State; of which no Readers w1ll expetl: a real on but !hangers, whofe expeClations I may not fatisfie.. Bu; as l mufl: profefs that I hope notbina here bath proceeded, from Dijloptty, or drjref}u1 to .;lutiJorrty, Go. cvemme~t, Unity, Concord, Peace or Order, or from any oppofition to Faitb, Piety, Lo1Je, or }r{lice; fo if unknown to me, there be any thing found here, that is contrary or injurious to any one of thefe, I do hereby renounce It, and defire it may be taken as non{cripwm. I I. The Ends andUfes for which I wrote this Book are thefe : 1. That when I could not Preach the Gofpel as I would, I might do it as I could. 2. That three fans might have the benefit as followeth. I. That the Younger and more unfurnif11cd, and unexperienced fort of Minifl:ers, might have a promptuary at hand, for PraClical Refolutions and Diretl:ions on the.fubjeCl:s that they have need to deal in. Aqd though Sayrrv.r and Fragofo have done well, I would not have us under a' nece!Iity, oF going to the Romanifl:s for our ordinary lupplies : Long have our Di– vines been will1ing for fome fuller Ca[uift:ical TraClate : Perk.ins begaq. well. Biiliop Sande1jonhath done excellently de ]uramento ; AmejirM hath exceeded all, though briefly : Mr. Dauid Drck.fon hath put more of our Engliili Cafes about the ll:ate of Santl:ification, imo Latine, than ever was done before him. Biiliop}er. Tailor hath in two Folio's but bPgun the co– pious performance of the work. ·And fl:ill men are calling for more, which l have attempted: Hoping that others will come after and do bet– ter than we all. If any call it my Pride to think that any Miniflers or St11dems are fo raw; as to need any thing that I can add eo them, let him but pardon lne for fay– ing that luch demure pleadings for a feigned Humility, iliall not draw me to a confederacy with 13/indne[S, Hypocrijie and Slot/1, and I will pardon him for his charge of Pride. It is long ago fince mat1y forrei~n Divines fubfcribcd a requefl:, that the Enghili would g1ve them In Lanne a fum of our Pratl:ical Theologie; wluch Mr.Du1y fem over, and twelve great Divines ofours wrote toBiiliop Ufher (as Dr.!Bemard tells you in his Life) to draw them up a form or Method: But it was never done among them all. And it's fa id that Bi– iliop Dorvname at lafl: undertaking it, he dyed in ~he attempt. Had this been done, Its like my labour m1ght have been [pared. But being un– done, I have thus maderhis Elfay. Bm I have been neceffitated to leave ou~ much (about Converfion, Mortification, Self.denyal, Self-acquain– tance, Fa!th, Jufhficanon, Judgement, Glory, &c.) becaufe I had writ– ten of them all before. .1I. And I thought it not unufeful to the more Judicious Mall:ers of Fa-, m1hes; who may choofe and read fuch parcels to their Families, as at any nme
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