8 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and said unto Zion, Thou art my people." Though some outward provisions and furnitures of literature, — now> through the good hand of God, made serviceable to _\ou in your attendance upon the great work and employment committed to you, — were fir.-t deposited when thick darkness was over the land, yet that they may be made eminently subsei-- vient to the will of God in raising up again the tabernacle of David, that was fallen down, the experience of a few years, I no way doubt, will abundantly re- veal and manifest. That in the vicissitude of all things, given thfm by the mys- terious and di'eadful wheels of providence, your good things also (as every thing else that is pleasant and desirable, or given of God imto the sons of men, hath done) have fallen into the possession and disposal of men, some enemies, others utterly useless and unfruitful to the Lord in their generations, cannot he denied ; but what is there, in his ways or worship, in his works or word, that God hath not, at some season or other, delivered into the power of the men of the world; though they have abused and perverted them to their own destruction? Nether is there any other use of this consideration, but only to inform them of the obli- gation they lie under to a due and zealous improvement of them to whose trust and care the Lord commits any of his mercies, when he rescues them from the captivity under which they have been detained by ungodly men. This is now your lot and condition in reference to many who, for sundry generations, pos- sessed those places and advantages of eminent service for the house of our God which you now enjoy. What may justly be the expectation of God from you, under this signal dispensation of his goodness ; what is the hope, prayer, and ex- pectation of very many that fear him, concerning you in this nation; what are the designs, desires, aims, and endeavours, of all sorts of them who bear ill-will at whatsoever is comely or praiseworthy amongst us, — you are not ignorant. What- ever consideration, at any time or season, may seem to have had an efficacy upon the minds and wills of men under the like sacrament and designment to the ser- vice of truth with yourselves, to incite and provoke them to a singularly indus- trious and faithful discharge of their duty, is eminently pressing upon you also; and you are made a spectacle to men and angels as to the acquitment of your- selves. The whole of your employment, I confess, — both in the general intendment of it, for the promoting and diftusing of light, knowledge, and truth, in every kind whatever, and in the more special design thereof, for the defence, further- ance, and propagation of the ancient, inviolable, unchangeable truth of the gospel of God, — is, in the days wherein we live, exposed to a contention wiih as much opposition, contempt, scorn, hati-ed, and reproach, as ever any such undertaking was, in any place in the world M'herein men pretended to love light more than darkness.
It is a hellish darkness which the light of the sun cannot expel. There is no ignorance so full of pride, folly, and stubbornness, as that which maintains itself in the midst of plentiful means of light and knowledge. He that is in the dark when the light of the sun is as seven days, hath darkness in his eye; and how great is that darkness! Such is the ignorance you have to contend withal; stub- born, affected, prejudic.atc, beyond ex[)ression; maintaining its darkness at noon- day; expressly refusing to attend to the reason of things, as being that alone, in the thoughts of those men (if they may be so called who are possessed with it), wherewith the world is disturbed. From those who, being under the power of this inthralment, do seem to repine at God that they are not beasts, and cla- morously traduce the more noble f)art of that kind and oHspring whereof them- selves are, — which attempts do hi'ighten and improve the difference between crea- tures of an intellectual race and them, to whom their perishing cf.mposition gives the utmost advancement, — whose eternal seeds and j^rinciplcs arc laid by the hand of God in their respective beings, you will not, I am sure, think it much if you
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY, 9
meet with oppositions. Those who are in any measure acquainted with the secret triumphing exaltations of wisdom and knowledge against folly and ignorance, with the principles and conditions wherewith they advance themselves in tlieir gloryings, even then when the precedency of (that which is bestial in this world) force and violence outwardly bears them down with insultation and contempt, w ill rather envy than pity you in any contest that on this foot of account you can be engaged in. You are not the first that have fought w'ith men after the man- ner of beasts, nor will be the last who shall need to pray to be delivered from ab- surd and unreasonable men, seeing " all men have not faith."
Men of profane and atheistical spirits, who are ready to say, " Who is the Lord? What is the Almighty that we should fear him? or his truth that we should re- gard it?" whose generation is of late multiplied on the face of the earth, crying " A confederacy" with them who, professing better things, are yet filled with grievous indignation at the sacrifice that hath been made of their abominations before their eyes, by that reformation of this place wherein you have been instrumental, are a continual goad on the other side, and would quickly be a sword in your very bowels, were not "He that is higher than the highest" your dwelling-place and refuge in your generation. These are they upon whom God having poured con- tempt and stained their glory, they, instead of accepting of his dispensations, are filled with wrath, and labour to make others drink of the cup which hath been oftered to themselves. With their reproaches, slightings, undervaluations, slanders, do your worth, diligence, integrity, labours, contend from one end of this earth to the other. He that "hath delivered doth deliver; and in him we trust that he will yet dehver."