PREFACE To "An Humble Attempt towards the Revival of practical Religion among Christians." AMONG the papers published last year, there bath been some enquiry matte, whether there be any decay of the dissenting interest and what may be supposed to have been the occasion of it. So far as I have searched into that matter, I have been informed, that whatsoever decrease may have ap- peared in some places, there have been sensible advances in others. Anti without entering into any debate about the particular reasons of its declension in any town whatsoever't, I am well satisfied that the great and general rea- son is the decay of vital religion in the hearts and lives of men, and the little success which the ministrations of the gospel have had of late for the conver- sion of sinners to holiness, and the recovery of them, from the state of cor- rupt nature and " the course mf this world, to the life of God by Jesus Christ." If this benot our hope and design, the support of the dissenting interest is but of little importance. .What is it that we meanby asserting-the rights and freedom of conscience in our separation from the established church, but more effectually to promote the kingdom of God amongst men, to do more honour to the nameof Christ our Saviour in his institutions, and better to carryon the blessed work of the salvation of souls ? But if these things arenot happily promoted amongst us, it is nowon- der that persons release themselves from all the inconveniencesthat in some places may attend their separation from a public establishment, especially when it is noevident that the allurements of riches and honours, and public trustsand offices lie all on that side. Nor is the complaint ofthe declension of virtue and pietymade onlyby the protestant dissenters: It is a general matter of mournful observation among all that lay the cause of God to heart: And therefore it cannot be thought amiss for every one to use all just and proper efforts for the reco- very of dying religion in the world, And since something may bedone amongst,the ministers, and somethingamong the people, to attain this des.. table end, I have beenpersuaded-to publish these following exhortations or addresses which are directed both to the one and theother. The exhortation to ministers was composed at the request ofmy worthy friend and brother Mr. John Oakes, and designed to have been delivered at his public ordination in the congregationof dissenting protestants, at Ches- hunt, in Hertfordshire, onNovember 12, 1729. But the providenceof God prevented me from fulfilling that service by confining me to a bedof sickness on that day. In the compositionof that discourse my thoughts ranout to four or five times the lengthof what would have been sufficient for that service, so that I must have greatly contracted it in the delivery But being much im- portuned both by my reverendbrother, who has perused far the greatest part of it, and by the congregation now under his care, to make it public, I have revised it with a larger view, and humbly hope that my younger brethren in # This whole affair is set in the best ligbt in a little pamphlet entitled, c' Free Thoughts on the most probable Means of reviving the Dissenting Interest, occasioned by slate Enquiry into the Causes of its Decoy." N. B. It wan written by the late Rev. Dr, Philip Peddridge.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=