Besides, prayer is a part of natural worship, and the vilest among men are bound to pray, else the neglect of it were none of their sin. O let not a duty, upon which so many and great bless- ings hang, fall to the ground, upon such silly (not to say wicked) pretences to shift it off. Remember, death will shortly break up all your families, and disband them ; and who then think you will have most comfort in beholding their dead? The day of account also hastens, and then, who will have the most comfortable appear- ing before the just and holy God ? Set up, I beseech you, the an- cient and comfortable duties of reading the scriptures, singing of psalms, and prayer, in all your dwelling-places. And do all these conscientiously, as men that have to do with God ; and try the Lord herewith, if he will not return in a way of mercy to you, and restore even your outward prosperity to you again. However, to be sure, far greater encouragements than that lie before you, to oblige you to your duties.
(3.) More especially, I have a few things to say to you that have attended on the ministry, or are under my oversight in a more par- ticular manner, and then I have done. And,
1**, I cannot but observe to you the goodness of our God, yea, the riches of his goodness :
Who freely gave Jesus Christ out of his own bosom for us, and hath not withheld his Spirit, ordinances and ministers, to reveal and apply him to us. Here is love that wants an epithet to match it :
Who engaged my heart upon this transcendent subject in the course of my ministry among you : a subject which angels study and admire, as well as we :
&) THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.
Who so signally protected and overshadowed our assembly in those days of trouble, wherein these truths were delivered to you. You then sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to your taste : his banner over you was love ; your bread was then sure, and your waters failed not : Yea, such was his peculiar indulgence, and special tenderness to you, that he suf- fered no man to do you harm; and it can hardly be imagined any could attempt it that had but known this, and no worse than this, to be your only design and business :
Who made these meditations of Christ a strong support, and sweet relief to mine, now with Christ, and no less to me, under the greatest exercises and trials that ever befel me in this world ; preserving me yet (though a broken vessel) for some farther use and service to your souls :
Who in the years that are past left not himself without witness among us, blessing my labours, to the conversion and edification of many ; some of which yet remain with us, but some are fallen asleep :
Who hath made many of you that yet remain, a willing and obedient people, who have in some measure supported the reputa- tion of religion by your stability and integrity in days of abounding iniquity : My joy and my crown ; so stand ye fast in the Lord I
Who after all the days of fears and troubles, through which we have past, hath at last given us and his churches rest ; " that we " being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve tt him without fear in righteousness and holiness (which doing, " this mercy may be extended to us) all the days of our life.**
In testimony of a thankful heart for these invaluable mercies, I humbly and cheerfully rear up this pillar of remembrance, inscri- bing it with EBEN-EZER, and JEHOVAH-JIREH !
2dly, As I could not but observe these things to you, so I have a few things to request of you, in neither of which I can bear a denial, so deeply Christ's, your own, and my interest lie in them.
(1.) Look to it, my dear friends, that none of you be found Christless at your appearance before him. Those that continue Christless now, will be left speechless then. God forbid that you that have heard so much of Christ, and you that have professed so much of Christ, should at last fall into a worse condition than those that never heard the name of Christ.
(2.) See that you daily grow more Christ-like by conversing with him, as you do, in his precious ordinances. Let it be with your souls, as it is with a piece of cloth, which receives a deeper dye every time it is dipt into a vat. If not, you may not expect the continuance of your mercies much longer to you.
(3.) Get these great truths well digested both in your heads and
THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.
hearts, and let the power of them be displayed in your lives, else the pen of the scribe, and the tongue of the preacher, are both in vain. These things, that so often warmed your hearts from the pulpit, return now to make a second impression upon them from the press. Hereby you will recover and fix those truths, which, it is like, are in great part already vanished from you.
This is the fruit I promise myself from you : The next age, and whatever entertainment it meets with from perhaps will pro- others in this Christ-despising age, yet two things duce a race of men relieve me ; one is, that future times may pro- of Jiner disposi- duce more humble and hungry Christians than tions and a gentler this glutted age enjoys, to whom it will be wel- turn, than tills age come : the other is, that duty is discharged, and has produced. Ant. endeavours are used to bring men to Christ, and Prob» build them up in him : wherein he doth and will rejoice, who is a well-wisher to the souls of men.
Opens the Excellency of the Subject.
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Mm crucified.
jL HE former verse contains an apology for the plain and familiar manner of the apostle's preaching, which was not (as he there tells them) with excellency of speech, or of wisdom ; i. e. he studied not to gratify their curiosity with rhetorical strains, or philosophical niceties. In this he gives the reason, " for I determined not to B know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ," §c. *
tt I determined not to know." *f*] The meaning is not, that he simply despised, or contemned all other studies and knowledge ; but so far only as they stand in competition with, or opposition to the study and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And it is as if he should say, it is my stated, settled judgment ; not a hasty, inconsiderate censure, but the product and issue of my most serious and exqui- site enquiries. After I have well weighed the case, turned it round, viewed it exactly on every side, balanced all advantages and dis- advantages, pondered all things, that are fit to come into conside- ration about it ; this is the result and final determination, that all other knowledge, how profitable, how pleasant soever, is not worthy to be named in the same day with the knowledge of Jesus
* Non rzyjO.oyuv, sed ^zoXoyuv. i. e. Not to teach arts and sciences, but religion.