PREFACE. W ERE it not a truth, that God owns the feeble efforts of fuch as are despised by men of parts and letters, the public should never have seen the enfuing performance. When I delivered the following difcourse, I had no more thoughts of making it further public, than I had of making a creed for his holiness the Pope of Rome : nor do I believe, that any fuch thought would ever have entered my heart, had it not been for the importunity of fome who heard it, and of others also who heard BT 770 M82 The first part, according to the text, is upon that important fubject, BELIEVING, and as various altercations have of late paffed, relative to the nature of FAITH, it might be one cause why fome were fo defirous to fee this in print; I'm fure it was one reafon why I made an attempt to preach upon the fubject; for I refolved that my elder brethren should be fully acquainted with my fentiments on that head; hoping, that if I were wrong, fome one would be fo friendly as to endeavour to reclaim a wanderer, I cannot affirm, that the following fheets contain verbatim what was faid: that was next to an impoffibility, as I did not write more than would fill the Eight part of a sheet of paper previous to my preaching: but, tho' |