concerning the fide which he has chofen, or the caufe which is nearest to his heart. The minifter who poffeffes a candour thus enlightened and thus qualified, will neither degrade himself to be the inftrument, nor afpire to be the head, of a party. He will not fervilely tread in the paths prescribed him by men, however refpe&table. He will not multiply contentions, in defence, either of the fhibboleths of others, or of any noftrum of his own, under a pretence that he is pleading for the cause of God and truth. His attention will not be refrained to the credit or intereft of any detached denomination of Chriflians, but extended to all who love the Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity. On the other hand, knowing that the gospel is the wisdom and power of God, and the only poffible mean by which fallen man can obtain either peace or rectitude, be most cordially embraces and avows it. Far from being afhamed of it, he eleems it bis glory. He preaches Chrift Jefus the Lord, and him crucified. He dares not fophifticate, difquife, or foften the great doctrines of the grace of God, to render them more palatable to the depraved tale of the times. He difdains the thought. And be avill no more encounter the prejudices and corrupt maxims and practices of the world with any reapon but the truth as it is in Jefus t, than he would venture to fight an enraged enemy with a wooden fword. Such is the difpofuion which the Author wishes for himself, and which he would endeavour to cultivate in others. He hopes that nothing of a contrary tendency will be found in the volumes now prefented to the Public. MESSIAH, the great fulject of the Oratorio, is the leading and principal subject of every fermon. His perfon, grace, and glory; his matchlefs love to finners; his humiliation, fufferings, and death; his ability and willingness to fave to the uttermoft; his kingdom, and the prefent and future happiness of his willing people, are feverally confidered, according to the order fuggefted by the feries of texts. Nearly connected with thefe topics are the doctrines of the fall, and depravity of man, the agency of the Holy 2 Cor. iv. 2. а 6 Eph iv. 21. Holy Spirit, and the nature and neceffity of regeneration, and of that holiness without which no man fhall fee the Lord. On thefe fubjects the Author is not afraid of contradiction from thofe who are taught of God.. With refped to fome other points which incidentally occur, he has endeavoured fo to treat them as to avoid administering fuel to the flame of angry controverfy. He is perfuaded himself, and Shall be happy to perfuade his Readers, that the remaining differences of opinion among those who truly understand and cordially believe the declarations of fcripture on the preceding an ticles, are neither fo wide nor fo important as they have been fometimes reprefented. Many of thefe differences are nearly verbal, and would ceafe, if due allowance was made for the im perfection of human language, and the effects of an accustomed phrafcology, which often lead people to affix different ideas to the fame expreffions, or to express the fame ideas in different. words. And if, in fome things, we cannot exally agree,. Since we confess that we are all weak and fallible, mutual patience and forbearance would be equally becoming the acknowledgments we make and the gospel which we profefs. We fhould therely a in chara&er, as the followers of him who was compaffionate to the infirmities and mistakes of his difciples, and taught them not every thing at once, but gradually, as they were able to bear. The Author ought not to be very felicitous upon his own account, what reception his performance may meet with. The faflion of this world is paffing away. The voice, both of applaufe and of cenfure, will foon be flified in the dust. It is therefore but a small thing to be judged of man's judgment * But confcious of the vast importance of the fubject which he thus fats into the Reader's hands, he cannot take leave of him witheut earnefily entreating his ferious attention. The one principle which he offumes for granted, and which he is certain cannot le disproved, is, That the Bible is a revelation from God. By this fandard he is willing that whatever he has advanced be tried. If the Bible be true, we must all give an ac.... count, each one of himself, to the great and final Judge. That: may 1 Cor. iv. 3 when we shall appear before his awful tribunal, we may be found at his right hand, accepted in the Beloved, is the Au thor's fervent prayer, both for his Readers and for himself. LONDON, 15th April 1736. } CON CONTENTS. Comfort se, comfort ye my people, faith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerufalem, and cry unto her, that her war- fare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for fhe The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make ftraight in the defert a high-way for our God. Every valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain and hill fall be made low, and the crooked shall be made fraight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord fhall be revealed, and all flesh shall fee it The Lord coming to his Temple. The Lord whom ye ftek, shall fuddenly come to his temple; even the meffenger of the covenant in whom ye delight: Behold, he fhall come, faith the Lord of hofts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall ftand when he ap- peareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's fope O Zion, that bringeft good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains. O Jerufalem, that bringefl good tidings, lift up thy voice with frength, lift it up, be not afraid: fay unto Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. For behold, the darkness fall cover the earth, and grofs darkness the people; but the Lord fhall arife upon thee, and his glory fhall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles fhall come to thy light, and kings to the bright- |