The Middle Things, To the reader 2 – To the reader 4
To the Conſcientious Reader.
IT is thy priviledge who readeſt, for Soul-help, to receive this Conſcientious Contexture, a teaching and exciting patern of choyce Piety, out of the hand of thy deareſt Huſband Jeſus Christ, who gave himſelf for thee, that he might give himſelf to thee; and with himſelf, that which doth convey himſelf, the Gifts, Graces, Evidences, Experiences, Improvements, and Spiritual actings of all thoſe that are partakers of the Root and Fatneſs of that Olive. Here is then a Love-token, thy loving Husband hath been preparing for thee weeks and moneths (it may be ſome years) by the Study, Pains, Prayers, Tears, the Soul and Body-travel of a tender-hearted Brother; be thou ready for a meeting of Loves, that at the receit, of this, comfortable fruit of love, Chriſt and thy Soul may rejoyce together. Is there not not a cauſe? doth he not rejoyce over thee with joy? doth he not reſt in his love? doth not he joy over thee with ſinging? let this Love-token ſpeak; herein thy free given Royalties are heaped up as high as Heaven, Juſtification, Reconciliation, Adoption, Sanctification, Glorification; Thy helpful Experiences remembred, and improved; thy heart-chearing Evidences collected, and cleared; thy love-Duty diſcovered, and precious Directions given, for an advantagious performance of them, in Secret, in Family, in Publique, for the mutual overflowings of love betwixt Chriſt and thy Soul. Upon ſerious and ſad thoughts, that the godly generally of later times, have been taken up with wrangling Diſputes, and thereby taken off from Chriſtian affection, and Communion (and I fear from Chriſt too in dangerous meaſure) It hath been amongſt my deſires, That God would ſtir up the hearts of ſome of his Servants, to call off his people from theſe Soul-hurting Contendings, unto the Reading, and Study of Soul-helping Treatiſes; aſſuring my ſelf, That if the people of God were helped againſt their contentious, and jarring Corruptions, the differences in their heads would be more eaſily reconciled, as to dear love, and due Spiritual Communion. I could not but obſerve, when theſe Papers were brought to my view, that the forementioned deſires of my heart were imprinted thereupon, which made them more dear to me, and more willing to endear them to the ſincere-hearted, as a happy mean of helping hearts, healing differences, and preparing the Lords lot for thoſe better times, which are more look'd after, and boaſted of, then prepared for: In reference to theſe reſtoring and refreſhing times (though the workings of God have been very various, and ſeemingly contrary, now ſetting forward, and then ſetting backward) God hath not been wanting to feed the laboring, and ſometimes almoſt fainting Faith of his people, by Divine arguments; amongſt which, this is one, and not the leaſt, That whileſt Providence hath been at work to remove hinderances, and to open a full and free way amongſt men, the in-dwelling Spirit hath been as buſie in holy men, to ſtir up ſome to Pray, others to Preach, and others to Write, for the wide-opening of a door in men; the gracious inlarging of the heart, which gives aſſurance, that when God hath ſuffered them that are for no Religion, to play a firſt game, and them that are for all Religions, to play a ſecond, that both the open and ſecret enemy of true Religion might be diſcovered, and diſcarded; he will then grant a longed for, joyful meeting of Holy times, and Holy hearts. To further the holineſs of the heart, which gives the leading to holy times, is the happy project of compiling and Printing this Book. That it may be ſanctified by the Spirit of Holineſs, unto ſo good and promiſing an end, let be thy Prayer, that the Pains and Prayers of the Author, may be turned into Comforts and Praiſes; which is the hope and prayer of him
Denton, May 10. 1649. Who is joyful in this, and all other thy Soul-helps, JOHN ANGIER.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
AMongst the multitude of Books in this Age, ſuperlatively above our ability to buy or read, thoſe ſeem to me moſt worthy of thy choyce, which compendiouſly, in a methodical, plain and familiar way, ſet forth to us totum hominis, the whole duty of man, the ſervice of God in holineſs and righteouſneſs, the right uſe, and wiſe improvement of the means of Grace: Theſe being wells of Salvation to quench our thirſt, and breaſts of Conſolation, to ſtrengthen, revive, and comfort us in our Pilgrimage from Earth to Heaven: Voluminous Controverſies may clear the underſtanding, and help to deliver and preſerve that light from the poyſoning clouds of Heretical darkneſs; but they do not quicken us to duty, to the love, and life of Chriſt, to the hope of Glory; they do not increaſe, but rather weaken the power of godlineſs. Diligence in reading of tedious Diſputes, is not the way to poſſeſs that fatneſs and fulneſs of true life, peace and joy, which are treaſured up for us in the Meritorious ſufferings of our Redee…er. The Promiſes are the life of that faith, whereby the juſt do live; and good Works, uniform, ſtedfaſt and abundant, are the tryal and glory thereof; whereunto not Speculative, and Polemical, but Practical Diſcourſes are an uſeful manuduction. In the reading of theſe with fervent Prayers, with ſerious and ſetled Meditations, many poor burthened ſinners have been raiſed up out of the depths of a wounding, condemning Conſcience, and brought to a transfigured Mountain, and Heaven on Earth in raviſhing Conſolations. Such a Diſcourſe is here preſented to thy view, by a Reverend and Religious Author, who hath experimentally learned, and doth daily copy out in his life the precious Truths of Jeſus Chriſt, the Myſteries of Godlineſs. It is an high priviledge, and great advantage to the Souls welfare, to learn of thoſe, who have what they teach, not onelyonly in their lips, but alſo in their hearts and lives; who are able to ſay, In theſe ways we have found reſt; as ye have heard or ſeen us do, ſo do ye. When the Converſation of Paſtors preacheth Chriſt and Heaven, as well as their Doctrine; when vocal, real, and experimental Sermons go together, that's likely to be a ſucceſsful Preaching. This Treatiſe may well be called, The Marrow of Chriſtianity, A good and perfect guide to the New-Jeruſalem, A golden Conduit-pipe, to convey to us ſtreams of life from the Fountain of Living-waters, or the godly mans Vade mecum, wherein is compendiouſly, yet fully delivered the Rule and Life of the new Creature. Believe me, in the diligent, reiterated and religious reading thereof, thou wilt finde, that theſe Titles are low enough, having a ſolid foundation, reality of Truth to bear them up; and that thy labor was not in vain, not a loſing, but a regaining, a well improving of precious time, which ought to be redeemed. That the compoſing and publiſhing, the attentive reading and ſtudying of this elaborate work, decked with the breathings of a gracious Spirit, may advance the glory of God, in the repairing of the Saints, and the edifying of the body of Chriſt, is the hearts deſire and prayer of
Halſall, April 19. 1649. Thine in the Lord, THO: JOHNSON.
The Epiſtle to the Reader.
GOod Reader, ſuffer me to ſay to thee, as that ancient and famous Orator, Iſocrates, in his Oration ad Nicolem, ſaid to his, foreign; Aut hiſce praeceptis utere, aut ipſe tu inveni meliora; Either make uſe of theſe wholeſom Directions, or elſe publiſh better thy ſelf: and if thou beeſt able to publiſh ſuch in the future, yet will it much profit thee to make uſe of theſe for the preſent. Neither is it every ſpeculative ability, that can bear ſuch fruit; ſuch as theſe muſt ariſe out of much inward obſervation of the work of God upon the Soul, and Chriſtian long Experience: Weaker Chriſtians may gain much growth in the diligent peruſal of this ſweet Compoſure, and ſtrong ones may hence be inſtigated to try theirs; that which iſſues from the heart of an experimental Chriſtian, uſually reacheth to the heart of ſuch as labor after the like Experience. Every one that reads this work, perhaps knows not the Author ſo well as my ſelf, therefore may I the more boldly ſpeak of him: I have long known him of a weak body, but of a precious and ſtrong minde; yet a man qui de ſe modicè ſentit, that judgeth but meanly of himſelf. Theſe his (Media) nomine, ſo called in reference to his (Prima & Ʋltima) long ſince brought to light, thou ſhalt not (Chriſtian Reader) finde to be Media re, but Remedia to thy ſighing ſoul: He is one that hath much fed up…n the Marrow of Practical Divinty, ſo that he may be ranked in a better kinde amongſt the Orators wiſe men, foreign;Iſocr. ibid. Sapientes exiſtima, non eos qui de rebus minutis curiosè rixantur, ſed qui de rebus maximis egregiè dicunt. Such ſhalt thou finde the Author. No more, but
Thine in Chriſt, JOHN WAITE B.D.