it, with the hard name of fpiritualifts, reckoning them a kind of Enthufiafts, unworthy of their regard. The truth is, Chriftianity is a myftery, mere reafon does not comprehend it. There is a fpiritual difcerning neceffary to its being rightly understood, whence it comes to pass that men of great learning and abilities, tho' they read the Scriptures with attention, and comment learnedly upon them; yet do not, yea cannot, enter into the vein of thought peculiar to the infpired penman, because they fhare not of the fame Spirit; wherefore it is, that the Apostle Paul afferts, the natural, that is, unregenerate man, not to know the things of God, neither indeed to be capable of knowing, them, because they are fpiritually difcerned. From what has been faid, it is easy to conclude, That no pedantic apology on the part of the Author, for appearing in print, or fawning compliments to the courteous reader, on the part of the prefacer, are. to be expected The truth is, both the one and the other are rather little arts, vailing pedantry and conceit, than evidences of modefty and good-fenfe. It is of more ufe to recommend the perufal of the book to perfons of all ranks and degrees, from a few fuitable topicks, than to fhew wherein this Edition differs from the first. That all mankind, however differenced by their rank and station in the world, have an equal concern in what is revealed concerning another and future world, will be readily owned; and it must be as readily granted, that however allowable it may be for men of learning and parts, to please themselves with fineness of language, juftness of thought, aud exact connection in writings upon other fubjects; yet they ought not to indulge themfelves in the fame tafte in difcourfes on divine things, left they expofe themfelves to the just censure of acting with the fame indifcretion, as a perfon in danger of famishing by hunger, would be guilty of, if he perverfly rejected plain whol fome food when offered to him, for no other reafon than the want of palatable fauce, or order and fplendor in ferving it up, The facred book we call the Bible, has a peculiar fublimity in it, vailed with unusual dialect and feeming inconnection: but it is not therefore to be rejected by men who bear the name of Chriftians, as uncouth or unintelligible; true wifdom dictates quite another thing, it counfels us, by frequent reading, to acquaint ourselves well with it, become accustomed to its peculiar phrafes, and fearch into its fubli mities: upon this ground, that the matters contained in it, are of the utmost confequence to us, and when rightly understood, yield a refined delight, much fuperior to what is to be found in reading the best written books on the most entertaining fubjects. What pleads for the parent is a plea for the progeny; practical difcourfes upon divine fubjects are the genuine offspring of the facred text, and ought therefore to be read carefully and with attention, by perfons of all ranks and degrees, though they are indeed calculated for, and peculiarly adapted to fuch as move in low fpheres of life... Let it, however, be a prevailing argument with persons of all de no nominations, carefully to read books of practical divinity, That many of them are not written on the fame motives and principles as other books are; the authors have often a peculiar divine call to publish them, and well founded hope of their being ufeful to advance Chriftiantiy in the world. In confequence whereof it is, that great numbers have reaped benefit by reading them, especially in childhood and youth; many have been converted by them; and it may be questioned, if ever there was a true Chriftian, fince the art of printing made these books common, who has not, in fome ftage of life, reaped confiderable advantage from them. This book recommends itself in a particular manner, by its being a fhort fubftantial fyftem of practical divinity, in fo much, that it may with truth be afferted, That a person who is throughly acquainted with all that is here taught, may, without danger to his eternal intereft, remain ignorant of other things, which pertain to the fcience called divinity. It is therefore earnestly recommended to the serious and frequent perufal of all, but especially of fuch as are in that stage of life called youth, and are fo ftationed in the world, as not to be frequently opportuned to hear fermons, and read commentaries on the facred text. It is doubtlefs incumbent on mafters of families to make fome provifion of fpiritual as well as bodily food, for their children and fervants; this is effectually done by putting practical books in their hands: and therefore this book is humbly and earnestly recommended as a fainilybook, which all the members of it are not only allowed, but defired to peruse. As to the difference betwixt this and the former edition, which gives it preference, it lies chiefly in the Author's not only having revised the ftile, but the thought in many places, and corrected both, fo as to fet feveral important truths in a clearer light, and make the ftile of the book now uniform, which formerly was not fo, because of the explications of peculiar words and phrases in ufe amongst practical divires, efpecially of the church of Scotland, which were interfperfed through. out the former edition, and introduced by another hand, for the fake of fuchperfons as are not accustomed to them. It remains, that the prefacer not only fubjoin his name, which was concealed in the first edi tion, as a teftimony that he effeems the Author, and values the book, but that he may thereby recominend it in a particular manner to the perufal of perfons of his own acquaintance. If in his affifting towards its being publifhed, and in prefacing both editions, he has not run unfent, he has what will bear him up under all cenfures; the charitable will think no evil, and others will do as they please. EDINBURGH, 18th ROBERT WIGHTMAN, M. D. G. E.. CONTENT S. I. The State of INNOCENCE, or PRIMITIVE INTEGRITY, difcourfed from Ecclef. vii: 29. THE The forbidden tree a stay to keep him from falling, Three forts of perfons reproved, A lamentation over the ruins, THAT man's nature is corrupted, proven, From From men's experience, and obfervation, Fallen Adam's image, in eleven particulars natural to men, Of the corruption of the understanding, Weakness with refpect to spiritual things, Three evidences of it, Grofs darkness in fpiritual things, Four evidences of it, A bias in it to evil, II. The State of NATURE, or State of ENTIRE DEPRAVATION. HEAD I. The SINFULNESS of Man's natural State, difcourfed from GENESIS vi. 5. Page 35 Three evidences thereof, Two evidences of it, Four evidences of it, Proneness to evil, t B Page 19 ib. 20 21 22 23 ib. ib. ib. 26 ib. 27 ib. 28 ib. 29 30 35 ib. ib. 45 46 47 48 50 51 53 54 55 $6 57 58 ib. 59% 60 6.1 62 64 A peculiar malignity against the priestly office; corrupt nature Four proofs of it, Bent to the way of the law, as a covenant of works, Two evidences of it, of the confcience, of the memory. The body partaker of this corruption, The doctrine of the corruption of nature applied, How to get a view of the corruption of nature, MAN's natural state, a state of wrath, What this ftate of wrath is, On his body, On his foul, Wrath in the heart of God against the natural man, On his enjoyments, He is under the power of Satan, at the general judgment, The doctrine of the ftate of wrath confirmed and vindicated, HEAD II. The MISERY of MAN'S Natural State difcourfed Several inftructions from it, They are under the covenant of works, NLY two ways of man's recovering himself fuppofable, viz. the way of the law, and the way of the gospel, Man unable to recover himself in the way of the law, He cannot keep the commandments perfectly, The perfection of law-obedience, four-fold, He cannot fatisfy the juftice of God for his fin, Object. God is merciful: we hope to be faved, if we do as well as Man unable to recover himself in the way of the gospel, to embrace III. The STATE of GRACE, or Begun Recovery. HEAD I. REGENERATION Difcourfed from 1 PET. i. 23. Partial changes mistaken for this change, a bent and propensity to good, - the means? Answered, Object (3.) The ufe of means needlefs, feeing we are utterly unable The Conelufion of this head, Object. (1.) If we be under an utter inability to do any good, how can God require us to do it? Answered, Object. (2.) Why do you then call us to believe, repent, and ufe |