To the Reader
THE embryo of this book was but one sermon, preached a little before the ending of my public ministry, upon the text of the third treatise, (upon the occasion intimated in the epistle to that truly honorable lady.) Being obliged to communicate the notes, and unavoidably guilty of some delays, I made a compensation by enlargement; and (having reasons for the publication of them, with which I shall not trouble you) to make them more suitable to the designed end, I prefixed the two former treatises: the first I had preached to my ancient flock; of the second I had preached but one sermon. If many of the materials in the second be the same as in the first, you must understand that my design required that it should be so, — they being the same attributes of God which
XVi. TO THE READER.
the first part endeavoreth to imprint upon the mind; and which the second and third endeavor to improve into a constant course of holy affection and conversation. As it is the same food which the first concoction chylifieth which the perfecting concoctions do work over again, and turn into blood, and spirits, and fles; so far am I in such points from gratifying thy sickly desire of variety, and avoiding the displeasing of thee by the rehearsals of the same, that it is my very business with thee, to persuade thee to live continually upon these same attributes and relations of God, as upon thy daily air and bread; and to forsake that lean consuming company, who feed on the shells of hard and barren controversies, or on the froth of compliments and affected shews, and run after novelty, instead of substantial solid nutriament: and to tell thee, that the primitive, pure, simple Christianity, consisted in the daily serious use of the great materials of the creed. Lord’s prayer, and ten commandments, contracted in the words of our baptismal covenant. Do thus, and thou wilt be like those examples of the succeeding church, in uprightness.
TO THE READER. XVll.
purity, simplicity, charity, peaceableness and holy communion with God; when the pretended subtilties and sublimities of wanton, uncharitable, contentious wits, will serve but to strangle or delude their souls. I have purposely been very brief on the several attributes and relations of God, in the first treatise, because the copious handling of them would have made a very great volume of itself, and because it is my great design in that first part, to give you a sight of all God’s attributes and relations conjunct, and in their order, that looking on them, not one by one, but all together in their proper places, the whole image of God may by them be rightly imprinted on your minds; the method being the first thing, and the necessary impressions on the soul the second, which I there desire you to observe and employ your minds about, if you desire to profit, and receive what I intend you,
December 24, 1663.