PREFACE. 473 world than these, I think I should be no Christian myself; and if Christ made menno better than the religion of Socrates, Cato, of Seneca, anddid no more to the reparation and perfecting of men's hearts and lives, I should think no better of the Christian religion than of theirs; for the 'means is to be estimated by the end and use ; and that is the best physician that bath the remedies which are fittest to work the cure. If God had not acquainted me with a sort of men that have really more holiness, mortification, spirituality, love to God, and to one another, and even to enemies, and more heavenly desires, expectations and delights, than these menbefore described have, it would have been a very great hin- drance to my faith. The same may I say of those that place godliness and Christi- anityonly in holding strict opinions, and in affected, needless sin- gularities,and in the fluent oratory and length of prayer, and avoid- ing other men's forms and modes of worship, and in any thing short ofa renewed, holy, heavenly heart and life. Andoundoubtedly, ifa true, full character of godliness had been imprintedto their minds, we should never have seen the professors of it so blottedwith sensuality, selfishness, pride, ambition, world- liness, distrust of God, self-conceitedness, heresy, schism, rebellions, unquietness, impatiency, unmercifulness, and cruelty to men's souls and bodies, as we have seen them in this age ; and all this justified as consistent with religion. And I fear, that because this treatise will speak to few that are not some way guilty, every face which hath a spot or blemish will be offended with the glass; and lest the faulty will say, that I par- ticularly intended todisgrace them ; but I must tell the reader, to prevent his misunderstanding, that if he shall imagine that I have my eyes upon particular parties, and, as a discontented person, do intend to blame those that differ from myself, or to grieve infe- riors, or dishonor and asperse superiors, they will mistake me, and wrongthemselves, and me, who professedly intend but the true description of sound Ghristians, diseased Christians, and seeming Christians. And for the manner of this writing, I am conscious it bath but little to commend it. The matter is that for which it is pub- lished. TheLord Verulatn, in his Essays, truly saith, that "much reading makes one full, much discourse doth make one ready, and much writing doth make a man exact." Though I have had my part of all these means, yet, being parted five years from my books, and three years from my preaching, the effects may decay ; and you must expect neither quotations or oratory testimonies, or ornaments of style ; but having not yet wholly ceased fromwrit- VOL. I. 60
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