TO THE READER: S the dignity of human nature is in nothing more evident than in its Capacityof worfhipping the divine Being; fo the beauty of religion is never more apparent, than in the becoming lives and converfations of its profelfors. To fee a perfon fo far mailer of his feveral paffions and inclinations to fus, as enables him to yield anuniform and conftant, as well as chearful, o- bedience, unto all the ways of holinefs, mull needs aetra& the eyes of the be- solder, and flit up force defines of imitating a pattern fo very agreeable. Such a perfon, fuch a converfation is acceptable toGod, and a greater ornament to he gofpel in the fight of man, than thegreáteft èloqueneeofexprefIion, or fhe deepeft fearches into its myfteries can poffibly be without it. It is not the cl'o- quent tongue, but the holyheart, that molt adorns the true chrif ian. This, as it renders him mot'slovely in the fight of others, fo it furnifhes him with the molt comfortable refeßions to himfelf. The praetice of true religion makes a man feel in hisôwn foul thofe fpiritual pleafures, which is only the fubjeß of difcourfe to others. Our author was. not unfenfible of this, but laboured earneftly both in his preaching and writing to promote an humbleand holy walkingwith God. He was not a littleconcerned for the great decays, as to the fpirit and power ofve- ligion, which have been ton vifibleamong many profeffors in there later ages, and never more thanat the prefent time. This put him uponwriting thole ex- cellent pra&ical'difcourfes, whichare presented to you, in order, to excite to a more ftedfaft communion- witKGnd, A fiibieCs, t-hongl' little regarded byforce, and utterly defpifed by others, yet cannot, but be very acceptable tö thole who have experienced this intercourfe between God and their own fouls; who have found the comfort thereof in the greateft difficulties, and have been fupported by it in all the various fames ofprovidence. Thofe whohave tailedofthe pow-, ers of the world to come, whore hearts have been warmed with the love of things farfuperior to all thedelights of fettle, will havea high efteem for what- foever may promote communion with God. Such perfons are too fenfible of the power of indwellingfin, which hats fo often interrupted them in their ho- ly courrr, and labour after a mortification thereof; neither are theyUnacquaint- edwith the ftrength of temptations, which endeavour o feduce them from the ways of God. To fuch then, we hope,.the following difcourfes on there heads will not be difagreeable, efpecially confidering the worth of that great Man by whom they were penned, whore labours have been fo defervediywell dteemed in the church of Chrift. As
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