There can be no doubt but that many points of doctrine still remain, on which the labours of the godly and learned may be usefully employed: for although many reverend and learned divines, both of the present and former age, [from the time, at least, when God vouchsafed to ovir fathers that glorious regeneration, or time of reformation, of a purer religion and of sound learning, after a long reign of darkness,] have composed from the sacred writings a synopsis, or methodical body, of doctrine or heavenly truth, and published their compositions under various titles; and although other theological writings, catechetical, dogmatical, exegetical, casuis- tical, and polemical, have increased to such a mass that the "world can hardly con- tain the books that have been written ;" yet such is the nature of divine truth, so deep and inexhaustible the fountain of the sacred Scriptures, whence we draw it, so innumerable the salutary remedies and antidotes proposed in these to dispel all the poisons and temptations wherewith the adversary can ever attack cither the minds of the pious or the peace of the church and the true doctrine, that serious and thinking men can entertain no doubt but that we perform a service praise-worthy and profitable to the church of Christ, when, under the direction of " the Spirit of wisdom and revelation," we bring forward, explain, and defend the most im- portant and necessary articles of evangelical truth.
But to be more particular : how sparinglj^, for instance, yea, how obscurely, how confusedly, is the whole economy of the Spirit towards believers (one of the greatest mysteries of our religion, — a most invaluable portion of the salvation brought about for us by Christ) described by divines in general ! or rather, by the most, is it not altogether neglected? In their catechisms, common- place books, public and pri- vate theses, systems, compends, etc. ; even in their commentaries, harmonies, and
1 [A few cn\mbs of theso, by way of specimen are] aiWeil, etc. " Abstract" couveys a wiilcjy differ- ent idea from a.'iroftraVfiaru.—Eo.
PREFACE. 49 X
expositions, concerning the indwelling, sealing testimony, unction, and consola- tion of the Spirit, — Good God ! concerning this inestimable fruit of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this invaluable treasm-e of the godly, though copi- ously revealed and explained in the Scriptures, there is almost a total silence; and with regard to union and communion with Christ, and with his Father and our Father, and some other doctrines respecting his person, as the husband and head of the church, the same observation holds good.
For almost from the very period in which they were capable of judging even of the first principles of religion,' the orthodox have applied themselves to clear up and explain those articles of the truth which Satan, by his various artifices, hath endeavoured to darken, pervert, or undermine. But as there is no part of divine truth which, since the eternal and sworn enmity took place between him and the seed of the woman, he hath not opposed with all his might, fury, and cunning ; so he hath not thought proper wholly to intrust the success of his interest to instru- ments delegated from among mankind, — though many of them seem to have dis- covered such a wonderful promptitude, alacrity, and zeal in transacting his business, that one would think they had been formed and fashioned fur the purpose, — but he hath reserved, according to that power \^'hich he hath over darkness and all kind of wickedness, a certain portion of his work, to be administered in a pecuhar manner by himself. And as he has, in all ages, reaped an abundant crop of tares from that part of his [domain] which he hired out to be improved by man, though, from the nature of human affairs, not without much noise, tumult, blood, and slaughter; so from that which he thought proper to manage himself, without any delegated as- sistance, he has received a more abundant and richer crop of infernal fruit.
The exertions of Satan against the truth of the gospel may be distinguished into two divisions. In the first, as the god of this world, he endeavours to darken the minds of unbelievers, " that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ may not shine unto them." With what success he exercises this soul-destroying employment we cannot pretend to say ; but there is reason to lament that he hath succeeded, and still succeeds, beyond his utmost hope. In the other, he carries on an implacable war, an unremitting strife; not, as formerly, with Michael about the body of Moses, but about the Spirit of Christ, about some of the more distinguished articles of the truth, and the application of each of them in order to cultivate communion with God the Father, and with his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, — against the hearts of the godly and the new creatui'e formed within them.
In this situation of affairs, most Christian writers have made it their study to oppose that first effort of the devil, whereby, through means of his instruments, he openly endeavours to suppress the light, both natural and revealed ; but they have not been equally soHcitous to succoiu* the minds of believers when wrestling, " not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," and almost ready to sink under the contest. Hence, I say, a very minute investigation hath been set on foot by many of those articles of religion which he has openly, through the instrumentality of the slaves of error and darkness, attacked, and the vindica- tion of them made clear and plain. But those which, both from their relation to practice and a holy communion, full of spiritual joy, to be cultivated with God, the old serpent hath reserved for his own attack in the hearts of believers, most writers, (partly either because they were ignorant of his wiles, or because they saw not much evil publicly arising thence, and partly because the arguments of the adversary were not founded on any general principle, but only to be deduced from the private and particular state and case of individuals,) have either passed over or very slightly touched upon.