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fidels, carnal reasoners, worldly-wise men, and reason taught philosophers, proud to affix their names to Works, degrading the essential and divine dignity of Christ, trampling his revelation, despising his cross, blaspheming his Holy Spirit, and thus openly glorying in their own shame. The world is poisoned with books, whose leading trait is either gross immorality, or a specious morality, which undermines principle, and aims a blow at the spirit of the gospel. Yet the Author writes not as one afraid of the success of the gospel; he knows that God's counsel shall stand, and that He will accomplish all his good pleasure.

Courteous Reader, let this suffice for a description of my Work. A work is the best description of itself and I shall rejoice to hear my Work is approved, not for mine own, but for the Lord's sake, whose servant I am if I obey his will; whose son I am, if I acknowledge with soul-abasement yet soul-rejoicing, the kind remembrances of his fatherly hand, who seeing he could have no greater love for us, laid down his life for his friends; whose heir I am, if I prize the inheritance, which he hath meritoriously purchased by his blood;

whose kingdom I shall possess hrough his rich grace, and by the operation of his Spirit, if I put not the day of grace from me the earnest of which is peace and joy in believing even here below, and the end of which is quietness and assurance for ever. I feel a hope, I write in nothing against the gospel, pity trifling errors: and that the God of all grace may enlighten us here, and at length make us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, is the sincere prayer of

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Yours in the bonds of Christ Jesus,

THE AUTHOR.

I have not spoken above thus conditionally, in consequence of supposing that the gospel and its attendant blessings are held out to us, on condition of our being willing to accept them. I believe life and salvation to be freely given of God, above all creature conditions and covenant of works; yea to be given even to the unwilling; not in their unwilling state, but by making them willing in the day of God's power, by the energetic and invincible operation of the Spirit of God. So that whilst our willingness does not merit or procure them conditionally; it doth yet prove how from the heart we receive them, to the praise of the glory of his grace who hath first made us accepted in the beloved.

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PREFACE.

Ir the employment and recreation of my leisure hours, hath produced any thing, that may comfort the followers of the Lamb, or bring glory to the God of Grace, I rejoice in sending this Essay forth to meet the public eye. May it not go with. out God's blessing, without which it is written and published in vain. It arose undesignedly at first, out of a larger work, which at present lays by me unfinished, the title of which I have intended to be, "Glorious Dispensations, or the displays

of God's Wisdom, Power and Grace, "in the Salvation of Sinners by Jesus "Christ." I feel I enter on hallowed,

but by no means forbidden ground. God, (as revealed unto us in the scriptures, through the mediatorial nature of Christ. Jesus) is an object worthy to be beheld, contemplated, admired, and adored. He himself, calls upon us to behold him, in the amazing stoop and condescension of his love, to save sinners through the efficacious atonement of Christ Jesus-efficacious so completely, that of all that the Father hath given him, Christ will lose nothing, but by his great power and infinité grace, will raise them up to eternal life at the last day.

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Born myself of professing parents, the preaching of the Word hath from my earliest infancy sounded in my ears.-A privilege which few but the seed of professing parents do generally possess: yet; which I feel, for a long time I slighted,

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