PREFACE. On this viewof things, if any person shall be led by providence to look into these discourses of mine, whose thoughts have been entangled, and his heart drawn away to any degreesof apostacy, or whose faithof Christ and the gospel hath beenshaken, by the cavils of men, I would beg one favour of him, for his own sake, more than for mine, and that is, that he would not turn over these pages as á matter of mere curiosity, nor let his witloose upon them in wanton sport, nor toss the solemn subject about as an airyjest, or a -matter of trifling dispute. This awful theme and controversy in Great Bri- tain, bath, in my judgment, no less consequences attending it than everlast- ing life or everlasting death. "Non hic levia ant ludiera petuntur Prcemia, lectoris de vita animæque salutecertatur." The indulgence of a sportful fancy, or a ludicrous spirit in questions so divine and important, is notthecharacter ofan honest mind which seeks the truth, nor la it a likely way to find it. The great God, the Maker and Lord of all, and thefountainof all light and knowledge, is not wont to bless such triflers withdivine irradiations. His awful majesty, and his tremendous jus- tice, manytimes, leave them to sport themselves zn their osen deceiving*, till they have woven a fatal snare for their souls, and his righteous judgmentmay give them up to perish for ever, in theirown impious mirth and madness. If anywavering christian has a sinceredesire to be established in the truth,@ and to save his own soul, let him set his conscience at work in the sight of.God, whileheperuses the bookswritten on this subject. Let him examine, with an honest heart, whether it be not the utmost hazard of his immortal interest to depart from the christian faith, and to forsake the holy commandments, that have been delivered to him, in the gospel ; 2Pet. ii. 21. Let himsee if he can find any other solid and substantial hopeof the favourof God, 'ofthe par- don ofhis sins, and final happiness, such as will enable him upon just and ra- tional grounds, toface death with courage, and enter into the immediate pre- -sence of a holy and offended God. May.the Spirit of Christ accompany this essay, to guard his own divine religion, and make these discourses happily effectual, to establish the professing christian in his holy faith, to secure the wavering from apostacy, and to prevent the eternal ruin of souls. Amen. London, February 4, 1728-9, 245
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