vi PRE F A C E.· the fcales were caft, his moderate felf-esteem degenerated into pride, This adequate felf-love fhrunk into mere felfifhnefs, and his delightful reflections on his own excellency, varied into the trickling pleasures of vanity and conceit: he loft view of the Author of his being, and thenceforth, inftead of delighting in him, firft dreaded, and then defpiled him. The modeft, and therefore hitherto anonymous author of the following difcourfes, Mr. Thomas Boften, having handled this fubject, in preaching to his own obfcure parochial congregation of Etterick, in the fheriffdom of Selkirk, had a particular view to their benefit, in printing and publishing them; and therefore the ftile and method is plain and fimple, and the first edition printed on coarfe paper; but the fubject is fo comprehenfive and important, fo well managed, and the book has been fo well received, that it now appears in the world more embellifhed, as well as better corrected than formerly., Let it fuffice to recommend it to those who have a right tafte of genuine Christianity, that all the Author's notions flow fo directly from the facred fountain, that it is to be doubted, if he has had much recourfe to any other helps that his Bible and his GOD for affiftance: Mean time, I am aware of an exception from these who rank themfelves among the polite part of mankind, as that there is the tame harfh peculiarity of dialect in it, which is commonly to be found in books of practical divinity. But I beg leave to obferve, That the dialed they except againft, is borrowed from facred fcripture; and likeas it has pleafed GOD, by the foolishness of preaching, to fave them that believe; fo alfo to countenance what they are difpleafed with, by the opperations of his Spirit on the minds of true Chriftians as their common experience witnelleth. However, I heartily with, the exception were altogether removed, by fome perfons digefting into a methodical treatife, the views of human nature in its primitive perfection, in its depraved condition, and in its retrieved state, who is mafter of modern file, and throughly understands the fubjects difcourfed in this book, that by becoming all things to all men, Some, piz. Of all ranks and kinds of men, may be gained. I am not declaim at large in favours of religion; this were to write a book by way of preface. Many able pens have been employed in recommending it to the world, by ftrong arguments drawn from its ufefulnefs to fociety, its fuitableness to the dignity of the rational nature, and the advantages arifing to men from it in this and the other world. But, after all, may not one be allowed to doubt, if religion be rightly understood by all its patrons? may not the beauties and excellencies of a precious gem be elegantly defcribed by a naturalift, or jeweller, who never faw the particular one he talked of, and knows little of its nature, lefs of the conftruction of its parts, and nothing of its proper ufe? Are there not men of bright parts, who reafon finely in defence of religion, and yet are so much strangers to that they brand the perfens who are fe happy as to be poffeffed of it, with the hard name of fpiritualifts, reckoning them a kind of Enthufiafts, unworthy of their regard. The truth is, Chriftianity is a mystery, mere reafon does not comprehend it There is a spiritual difcerning neceffary to its being rightly understood, whence it comes to pass that men of great learning and abilities, tho' they read the: · Scriptures with attention, and comment learnedly upon them; yet do not, yea cannot, enter into the vein of thought peculiar to the infpired penman, because they share not of the fame Spirit; wherefore it is, that the Apostle Paul afferts, the natural, that is, unregenerate man, not to know the things of God, neither indeed to be capable of knowing them, because they are fpiritually difcerned. From what has been faid, it is easy to conclude, That no pedantic: apology on the part of the Author, for appearing in print, or fawning compliments to the courteous reader, on the part of the prefacer, ater to be expected The truth is, both the one and the other are rather little arts, vailing pedantry and conceit, than evidences of modefty and good-fenfe. It is of more ufe to recommend the perufal of the book to perfons of all ranks and degrees, from a few fuitable topicks, than to fhew wherein this Edition differs from the first. Σ That all mankind however differenced by their rank and ftation in the world, have an equal concern in what is revealed concerning an other and future world, will be readily owned; and it must be ast readily granted, that however allowable it may be for men of learn ing and parts, to please themselves with fineness of language, juftnefsi of thought, aud exact connection in writings upon other fubjects; yet they ought not to indulge themfelves in the fame tafte in difcourfes on divine things, left they expofe themfelves to the juft cenfure of acting with the fame indifcretion, as a perfon in danger of famifhing by hunger, would be guilty of, if he perverfly rejected plain wholfome food, when offered to him, for no other reafon than the, want of palatable fauce, or order and fplendor in ferving it up. The facred b we call the Bible, has a peculiar fublimity in it, vailed with unufual dialect and feeming inconnection: but it is not therefore to be rejected by men who bear the name of Chriftians, as uncouth or unintelligible; true wifdom dictates quite another thing, it counfels us, by frequent reading, to acquaint ourselves well with it, become accustomed to its peculiar phrafes, and fearch into its fubli mities upon this ground, that the matters contained in it, are of the uimoft confequence to us, and when rightly understood, yield a refined delight, much fuperior to what is to be found in reading the belt wiritten books on the most entertaining fubjects. What pleads for the parent is a plea for the progeny; practical difcourfes upon divine fubjects are the genuine offspring of the facred text, and ought there fore to be read carefully and with attention, by perfons of all ranks and degrees, though they are indeed calculated for, and peculiarly adapted to fuch as move in low fpheres of life. Let it, however, be a prevailing argument with perfons of all de no nominations, carefully to read books of practical divinity, That many of them are not written on the fame motives and principles as other books are; the authors have often a peculiar divine call to publish them, and well founded hope of their being useful to advance Christiantiy in the world. In confequence whereof it is, that great numbers have reaped benefit by reading them, especially in childhood and youth; many have been converted by them; and it may be queftioned, if ever there was a true Chriftian, fince the art of printing made these books common, who has not, in fome ftage of life, reaped confiderable advantage from them. This book recommends itself in a particular manner, by its being a short substantial system of practical divinity, in fo much, that it may with truth be afferted, That a perfon who is throughly acquainted with all that is here taught, may, without danger to his eternal intereft remain ignorant of other things, which pertain to the science called divinity. It is therefore earnestly recommended to the serious and frequent perufal of all. but especially of fuch as are in that ftage of life called youth, and are fo ftationed in the world, as not to be frequently opportuned to hear fermons, and read commentaries on the facred text. It is doubtless incumbent on mafters of families to make fome provifion of spiritual as well as bodily food, for their children and fervants; this is effectually done by putting practical books in their hands: and therefore this book is humbly and earneftly recommended as a familybook, which all the members of it are not only allowed, but defired to peruse. As to the difference betwixt this and the former edition, which gives it preference, it lies chiefly in the Author's not only having revifed the file, but the thought in many places, and corrected both, fo as to fet fevéral important truths in a clearer light, and make the ftile of the book now uniform, which formerly was not fo, because of the explications of peculiar words and phrafes in ufe amongst practical divines, efpecially of the church of Scotland, which were interfperfed throughout the former edition, and introduced by another hand, for the fake of fuchperfons as are not accustomed to them. It remains, that the prefacer not only fubjoin his name, which was concealed in the firft editian, as a teftimony that he efteems the Author, and values the book, but that he may thereby recommend it in a particular manner to the perufal of perfons of his own acquaintance. If in his affifting towards its being publifhed, and in prefacing both editions, he has not run unfent, he has what will bear him up under all cenfures; the charitable will think no evil, and others will do as they please. EDINBURGH, 18th MARCH, 1729. } ROBERT WIGHTMAN, M. D. G. E. THE CONTENT S. I. The State of INNOCENCE, or PRIMITIVE INTEGRITY, difcourfed from Ecclef. vii. 29. II. The State of NATURE, or State of ENTIRE DEPRAVATION. HEAD I. The SINFULNESs of Man's natural State, difcourfed from GENESIS vi. 5. TH HAT man's nature is corrupted, proven, From men's experience, and obfervation, Fallen Adam's image, in eleven particulars natural to men, Of the corruption of the understanding, Weakness with respect to spiritual things, Three evidences of it, Grofs darkness in fpiritual things, Four evidences of it, A bias in it to evil, Six evidences of that bias, Utter inability for what is truly good, Proneness to evil, Page 35 B A peculiar malignity against the priestly office; corrupt nature lying crofs to the gofpel-contrivance of falvation, Four proofs of it, Bent to the way of the law, as a covenant of works, Four proofs of it, Against the Spirit of God, Against the law as a rule of life, Two evidences of it, Contumacy against the Lord, Perverfeness in reference to the chief end, Of the corruption of the affections, of the confcience, of the memory, 840 The body partaker of this corruption, The doctrine of the corruption of nature applied, How to get a view of the corruption of nature, : 73 ib. 75 76 fb. 77 77 78 78 79 79 80 81 ib. 82 84 HEAD II. The MISERY of MAN's Natural State difcourfed from Eph. ii. 3. MAN's natural ftate, a state of wrath, What this ftate of wrath is, -- Wrath in the heart of God against the natural man, The doctrine of the ftate of wrath confirmed and vindicated, 87 |