' God will stir up some happy king or governor, in some country of Christendom, endued with wisdom and consideration, who shall discern the true nature of godliness and Christianity, and the necessity and excellency of serious religion, and shall place his honour and felicity in pleasing God and doing good, and attaining everlasting happiness, and shall subject all worldly respects unto these high and glorious ends ; shall know that godliness and justice have the most precious name on earth, and prepare for the most glorious reward in heaven,' &c.
With how great hopes and joy must it fill every upright heart daily (as they do) to behold in your Majesty and in your Koyal Consort, (whom a divine hand hath so happily placed with you on the same throne) the same lively characters of this exemplified idea ! It can- not but inspire us with such pleasant thoughts that winter is well-nigh
320 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
gone, and tlie time of singing of Lirds approaches ; tlie night is far spent and the day is at hand, — a bright and glorious morning triumphs over the darkness of a foul, tempestuous night. The sober, serious age now commences, when sensuality, falsehood, cruelty, oppression, the contempt of God and religion are going out of fashion ; to be a noted debauchee of a vicious life and dishonest mind, capable of being swayed to serve ill purposes without hesitation, will no longer be thought a man's praise, or a qualification for trusts. It shall be no disre})utable thing to profess the fear of God and the belief of a life to come. A scenical, unserious religion, a spurious, adulterated Chris- tianity, made up of doctrines repugnant to the sacred oracles, to sound reason, and even to common sense, with idolatrous and ludicrous for- malities, and which hates the light, shall vanish before it. There shall be no more strife about unneces.'^ary circumstances ; grave decencies in the worship of God that shall be self-recommending, and command a veneration in every conscience, shall take place. There shall be no con- tention amongst christians ; but who shall most honour God and our Redeemer, do most good in the world, and most entirely love and effectually befriend and serve one another, which are all things most connatural to that vivid realising, victorious faith here treated of.
Nor are other victories alien to it, over the armed powers of God's visible enemies in the world, such as he may yet call your Majesty with glorious success to encounter in his name, and for the sake of it. In some following verses of this chapter (wherein the line of the apostle's discourse went beyond that of this worthy author's life) tliis is represented as the powerful instrument which those great heroes employed in their high achievements of subduing kingdoms, working righteousness, or executing God's just revenges upon his unyielding enemies, obtaining promises, stopping the mouths of lions, quenching the violence of fire, escaping the edge of the sword, whereby out of weakness they were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned ta flight the armies of the aliens. By this faith they (in the prophet's lofty style, Isa. xxxiv. 5), as it were, bathed their sword in heaven, gave it a celestial tincture, made it resistless and penetrating. This is the true way, wherein, according to the divinest philosophy, the spirit of a man may draw into consent with itself the universal almighty Spirit. And if the glorious Lord of Hosts shall assign to your Majesty a further part in the employments of this noble kind, may he gird you with might unto the battle ; may your bow abide in strength, and the arms of your hands be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, even by the God of your fathers, who shall help you, and by the Almighty who shall bless you ; and may he most abundantly bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lietli under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. May he cover your head in fight, and crown it with victory and glory, and grant you to know, by use and trial, the power of that faith, in all its operations, which unites God with man, and can render, in a true and sober sense, and to all his own purposes, an human arm omnipotent "Which is the serious prayer of Your Majesty's most devoted and most humble servant and snliject,
John Howe.
TO THE EEADEE.
Thou art here presented with a tliird volume of the works of the late reverend and learned Dr Thomas Manton, whose great name is suffici- ent to recommend it to thy perusal, when thou art assured it is his own. These sermons and treatises were either written from his own notes, or carefully compared verhatim with them, and amended by them ; and whosoever were acquainted with the spirit and preaching of the author will find he hath no cause to suspect being imposed on herein. His copious invention, clear and succinct opening of gospel mysteries, close application to the conscience, with that admirable variety of handling the same subject which sometimes occurs, are scarce imitable by any. It were needless to add anything to the testimonies that have been given him by those who have published his former works.