PREFACE. COURTEOUS READER, THE HE following treatife is a fpiritual medley of heavenly things;-an entertaiment for the mind and confcience of gracious fouls, who, for the want of gospel light to discern the rich provision and stability of God's covenant, are often funk to live beneath the privileges thereof. I have frequently heard people, who I believe to be truly gracious, declare themfelves to be bowed down, and continually dejected, under the apprehenfions of a dreadful scrutiny which they fuppofe the Saviour will have with them in the day of judgment. In order to remove the believer's groundless fears, to fhew him the privileges of the covenant, and to excite his gratitude to God, this little treatise is published. The things that are confidered, and attempted to be explained, are the spiritual refurrections of a finner-his arraignment and justification—his spiritual birth, heirship, and inheritance-his evidences for heaven-the conflicts he hath with the devil-and the office of Chrift as an Advocate. And in order to convey my thoughts as intelligibly as poffible it is written by way of dialogue, question and answer being an excellent way of conveying information, and with which the word of God is replete. The perfons made choice of to carry on the dialogue, are Cushi and Ahimaaz, two fervants of David, both ftiled in Scripture good men. Cufhi is here reprefented as one wrought upon by grace while he observed the visible hand of God with David; which is intended to fhew how a Chriftian's life, and the hand of God with him, impreffes the mind and convicts the confcience of a finner. Ahimaaz is reprefented as running with tidings before he was fent; which is introduced as a caution to the many in our days, both learned and illiterate, who take on them the office of the miniftry, without any fpiritual qualification for it, or divine call to It; who are encouraged and emboldened by nothing else but pride, infenfibility, and ignorance. A thirst for human applause, and ignorance of the experience and wisdom of the the Church-ignorance of the plague of the human heart-ignorance of the majesty of God, and the importance of the ministry, appear to be the bafis and bulwark of too many. The houses of Saul and David are introduced as prefiguring the family of the old Adam and the household of faith. Cufhi's halting between the two is intended to exhibit the struggles that the weak believer feels between the flesh and the fpirit. The revival of the work of grace on Cufhi, at the death of David, is introduced to fhew that many young converts, who are a fcourge to the fervants of God in their lives, are brought to lament their death, being ignorant of their worth till they feel their loss; as Ifrael of old, who was a perpetual burden to Moses for forty years; but when he was dead they bemoaned him for thirty days: or like Saul, who was so often a plague to pious Samuel in his life, yet would fell himself to the devil for a fight of his mantle when he was dead. I have studied plainness in this work, and endeavoured to be as intelligible to my Reader as poffible; not expecting that the consequence of the noble, the acquired knowledge of the scholar, the wisdom of the critic, the refined judgment of the polite and gay, will ever submit to a perusal of any performance of mine, unless it be to cavil at it. To be fhort, if any part of the revealed will of God be made plain to the feeker or to the believer; if his judgment be informed, his doubts and fears removed; if any bleffing of the covenant be difcovered; if his mind be entertained, his faith established, and his covenant God endeared to him, I trust my end is answered; and what the outfide profeffor, or the open enemy to truth may have to fay, will have but little weight with me, except it be to pity him. That the believer read without pre may judice, and profit by reading, is the defire and prayer of, Courteous Reader, thy willing fervant, and tried companion in tribulation, W. HUNTINGTON. |