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X
AUTHOR'S
PREFA.CED
at this
season,
proceeding
from the
prevalent
abhor-
rence of
our affections to
things spiritual
and heaven-
ly,
without
a watchful endeavor to
keep
and
preserve
our
minds in
the constant contemplation of them,
as
will appear in
the ensuing discourse.
Again,
there
are
so
great
and
pregnant
evidences of
the prevalency
of an
earthly, worldly
frame of
spirit,
in
many
who make
profession
of religion,
that
it
is
high
time
they were
called to
a due
consideration,
how unanswerable
they
are therein,
to
the power
and
spirituality
of
that
religion which they
do
profess.
There
is
no
way whereby such a frame may
be evin-
ced
to
prevail
in many, yea, in
the generality
of such
professors,
that
is
not manifest to
all.
In their
hab-
its,
attires,
and vestments,
in
their
usual converse and
misspence
of
time, in
their
over liberal
entertainment
of
themselves and others,
to the borders
of excess, and
sundry other things
of
a
like
nature
;
there
is
in many
such a conformity to the
world,
(a thing severely
for-
bidden,)
that
it
is
"hard to make
a
distinction
between.
them. And these
things
do
manifest
such
a predomi-
nancy
of carnal affections in
the
minds of
men, as,
whatever may
be
pretended to the contrary,
it
is
in-
consistent with spiritual
peace. To call men off from
this
evil
frame
of heart and
mind,
to discover
the
sin
and danger of
it,
to direct them
to the ways and
means whereby
it
may
be effected,
to
supply
their
thoughts
and affections
with better
objects,
to discover
and press that exercise of them which
is
indispensably
required of
all believers,
if they
desire
life
and peace,
is some
part
of
the
work of
the ensuing discourse.
It
may
be,
it will be
judged
but a weak attempt
as
to the
attaining of
that
end
:
but
it cannot
be
denied to have
these
two advantages
first,
that
it
is
seasonable
and