use of the abilities, and sometimes the ambition, and ends of men, hath furnished us withal. Not that I condemn the use and study of them, which I wish men were more diligent in, but desire pardon if I mistake, and do only surmise by the experience of my own folly for many years, that many which seriously study the things of God, do yet rather make it their business to inquire after the sense of other men on the Scriptures, than to search studiously into them themselves.

6. That direction in this kind, which with me is instar omnium, is, for a diligent endeavour to have the power of the truths professed and contended for, abiding upon our hearts, that we may not contend for notions; but what we have a practical acquaintance within our own souls. When the heart is cast, indeed, into the mould of the doctrine that the mind embraceth; when the evidence and necessity of the truth abides in us; when not the sense of the words only is in our heads, but the sense of the things abides in our hearts; when we have communion with God in the doctrine we contend for; then shall we be garrisoned by the grace of God against all the assaults of men. And without this, all our contending is as to ourselves, of no value. What am I the better, if I can dispute that Christ is God, but have no sense or sweetness in my heart from hence, that he is a God in covenant with my soul? What will it avail me to evince by testimonies and arguments, that he hath made satisfaction for sin, if through my unbelief the wrath of God abides on me, and I have no experience of my own being made the righteousness of God in him? If I find not in my standing before God, the excellency of having my sins imputed to him, and his righteousness imputed to me; will it be any advantage to me in the issue, to profess and dispute that God works the conversion of a sinner, by the irresistible grace of his Spirit, if I was never acquainted experimentally with the deadness and utter impotency to good, that opposition to the law of God which is in my own soul by nature, with the efficacy of the exceeding greatness of the power of God in quickening, enlightening, and bringing forth the fruits of obedience in me? It is the power of truth in the heart alone, that will make us cleave unto it indeed, in an hour of temptation. Let us then not think that we are any thing the

better for our conviction of the truths of the great doctrines of the gospel, for which we contend with these men, unless we find the power of the truths abiding in our own hearts, and have a continual experience of their necessity and excellency, in our standing before God and our communion with him.

7. Do not look upon these things, as things afar off, wherein you are little concerned. The evil is at the door; there is not a city, a town, scarce a village in England, wherein some of this poison is not poured forth. Are not the doctrines of free will, universal redémption, apostacy from grace, mutability of God, of denying the resurrection of the dead, with all the foolish conceits of many about God and Christ in this nation, ready to gather to this head.

Let us not deceive ourselves; Satan is a crafty enemy. He yet hovers up and down in the lubricous vain imaginations of a confused multitude, whose tongues are so divided that they understand not one the other. I dare boldly say, that if ever he settle to a stated opposition to the gospel, it will be in Socinianism. The Lord rebuke him, he is busy in, and by many, where little notice is taken of him. But of these things thus far.

A particular account of the cause and reasons of my engagement in this business, with what I have aimed at in the ensuing discourse, you will find given in my epistle to the University; so that the same things need not here also be delivered. The confutation of Mr. Biddle's and Smalcius's catechism, commonly called the 'Racovian,' with the vindication of all the texts of Scripture, giving testimony to the Deity of Christ throughout the Old and New Testament, from the perverse gloss and interpretations put upon them by Hugo Grotius, in his annotations on the Bible, with those also which concern his satisfaction, and on the occasion hereof the confirmation of the most important truths of the Scripture, about the nature of God, the person of Christ and the Holy Ghost, the offices of Christ, &c. hath been in my design. With what mind and intention, with what love to the truth, with what dependance on God for his presence and assistance, with what earnestness of supplication to enjoy the fruit of the promise of our dear Lord Jesus, to lead me into all truth by his blessed Spirit, I have

have gone through this work, the Lord knows. I only know that in every particular I have come short of my duty therein, that a review of my paths and pains would yield me very little refreshment, but that I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded, 'that even concerning this also, he will remember me for good, and spare me according to the greatness of his mercy.' And whatever becomes of this weak endeavour before the Lord, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; and this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow what is performed is submitted humbly to the to the judgment of them to whom this address is made. About the thoughts of others, or any such, as by envy, interest, curiosity, or faction, may be swayed or biassed, I am not solicitous. If any benefit redound to the saints of the Most High, or any that belong to the purpose of God's love be advantaged, enlightened, or built up in their most holy faith in the least, by what is here delivered, I have my reward.

VOL. VIII.

MR. BIDDLE'S PREFACE

TO HIS

CATECHISM.

I HAVE often wondered and complained that there was no catechism yet extant (that I could ever see or hear of), from whence one might learn the true grounds of the Christian religion, as the same is delivered in the Holy Scripture; all catechisms generally being so stuffed with the supposals and traditions of men, that the least part of them is derived from the word of God. For when councils, convocations, and assemblies of divines, justling the sacred writers out of their place in the church, had once framed articles and confessions of faith, according to their own fancies and interests, and the civil magistrate had by his authority ratified the same, all catechisms were afterward fitted to those articles and confessions, and the Scripture either wholly omitted, or brought in only for a shew, not one quotation amongst many being a whit to the purpose, as will soon appear to any man of judgment, who taking into his hand the said catechisms, shall examine the texts alledged in them: for if he do this diligently and impartially, he will find the Scripture, and those catechisms to be at so wide a distance one from another, that he will begin to question whether the catechists gave any heed at all to what they wrote, and did not only themselves refuse to make use of their reason, but presume that their readers also would do the same. In how miserable a condition, then, as to spiritual things, must Christians generally needs be, when thus trained up, not, as the apostle adviseth, 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,' but in the supposals and traditions of men, having little or no assurance touching the reality of their religion! Which some observing, and not having the happiness to light upon the truth, have quite abandoned all piety whatsoever, thinking there is no firm ground whereon to build the same. To prevent which mischief in time to come, by bringing men