( ii TO THE READER. that time than ignorance. ·And God usually beginneth tl;c awakening of raason, and the conversion of sinners, by the awakening of their useful passions, their fear, their grief, n;pentance, desire, &c. I confess, when God awakeneth in me those passions which I account rational and holy, I am so far from condemning them, that I think I was half a fool before, and have small comfort in sleepy reason. Lay by all the passionate part of love and joy, and it will be hard t& laave any pleasant thoughts of 1jeaven. In short, I am an adversary to their philosophy that vilify sense, because it is_ ~n brutes, and am past doubt that the noble spirits of sensitives are debased ignorantly, by pretending wits, that know not what they say or glory in; and human souls are not less sensitive for being ra. tional, ·but are eminently sensitive. Yea, reason hath in it more of eminent intemal sensation, than those- men ·think that debase sense. The Scripture tpat saith of God, that he is life and light, saith also, that he is love, and love is complacence, and complacence is joy; and to say God is infinite, essential love and joy, is a better notion, than with Cartesians and Cocceians, to say ~at God, and a,ngels, and spirits, are but a thought, or an idea. What is Heaven to us, if there be no love and Joy? I will do my wise friends, whose counsel l have much followed, that rig.ht1 as to acquit them from all the guilt of the publication. of these Fragments. Some of them say, that such work is below me; and those that l think speak wiselier, say'"' I am below such work. These I m·~feignedly, believe. I have long thought that a pajnter, a musici-an, and a poet, are contemptible, if they be not excellent: a.nd that I am nqt excellent, _I am satisfied: but.! am more pat,ient of contempt than many are. Comm.pn painters serve for poor men's work ; and a fiddler may serve at a country wedding : such cannot aspire to the attainments of the highei· sort; and the vulgar are the greater number. Dr. StiHingtleet saith, I sel-dom follow my friends' advice. In this I jus tify him; though in otber things my advisers contradict him . ·
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