son came by a copy of a few imperfect notes of some sermons that Mr. Guthrie had preached upon the fifty-fifth of Isaiah, with a relation to personal covenanting; and without the smallest intimation of his design made to him, printed them in a small pamphlet of sixty-one pages, 12mo. under this title, "A clear, attractive, warming beam of light, from Christ the Son of life, leading to himself; wherein is held forth a clear, sound and easy way of a soul's particular closing with God in the covenant of free grace, to the full ending and clearing all debates thereanent." Printed at Aberdeen, by J. B. 1657. The book indeed was anonymous, but Mr. Guthrie was reputed the author of it by the whole country, and so obliged to take notice of it; he was equally displeased at the vanity of the title, and the gross defects of the work itself, which consisted of some broken notes of his sermons, corfusedly handled together by an injudicious hand; and when he saw that it was the only remedy, he felt himself under a necessity, however uneasy to him, to review his sermons, from which he soon composed this admirable treatise.

There were indeed after the restoration, some sermons of Mr. Guthrie's, upon Hosea xiii. 9. and a few other texts, printed from very imperfect notes taken by a hearer, by some obscure person who wanted to make a little gain; but as those could inno just sense be accounted the work of Mr. Guthrie, being both extremely corrupt and defective, and were very injurious to his memory. Mrs. Guthrie, his widow, printed an advertisement, and spread it as far as she could, to

guard the public from being imposed upon by those spurious sermons, which in a great measure put a stop to so unfair a practice and should in reason have prevented the disengenuous extracts of some coarse, unguarded expressions from them, which are to be met with in some prelatical pamphlets, whereby they endeavour calumniously to expose the Presbyterian interest from the falsely alledged failures of one of its eminent guides and supporters.

This small treatise THE CHRISTIANS GREAT INTEREST, the only genuine work of Mr. Guthrie, hath been blessed by God with wonderful success in our own country. It was published very seasonably, a little before the introduction of prelacy, at the restoration: nor is the conduct of a merciful providence to be overlooked, in affording so useful a help to multitudes of the people of God, when their worthy pastors were torn from them. Several have owed their conversion unto a religious life to the reading of the treatise; and many thousands have been thereby mightily edified and built up in the most holy. faith.

Nor hath it less regard paid it abroad in England: its author and itself were highly esteemed by the greatest and best men there; and that there could not be a greater honour done it than by the character given thereof by Dr. Owen, will appear to all who are acquainted with the incomparable learning and worth of that excellent scholar and divine. This story was related by a reverend minister of the church of Scotland, who had the doctor's sentiments from his own

Ру

mouth. One day in conversation with him, the doctor, speaking of Scotland, said to our informer, "you have truly men of great spirits in Scotland: there is for a gentleman Mr. Baillie of Jerviswood, a person of the greatest abilities I ever almost met with; and for divines," said he, pulling out of his pocket a little gilded coof this treatise of Mr. Guthrie's "that author take to have been one of the greatest divines that ever wrote: it is my vade mecum, and I carry it and the Sedan New Testament still about with me: I have written several folios, but there is more divinity in it than in them all." Though the great modesty of this admirable divine made him give a very unequal character of his own excellent performances, yet this does not hinder such an account of Mr. Guthrie's book, given by so masterly a judge, from being as much for its reputation as any thing of that nature can be.

Nor was the usefulness of this pious treatise confined either to the author's own country or language: foreigners also valued it, translated it, and were eminently profited thereby. It was translated into Low Dutch by the reverend and pious Mr. Koelman, and was highly esteemed in Holland, so that Mrs. Guthrie and one of her daughters met with uncommon civilities and kindness when their relation to its author was known. It is also translated into French and High Dutch; and we are informed, that it was also translated into one of the eastern tongues, at the charges of that noble patron of religion, learning and charity, the Hon. Robert Boyle,

After what hath been said of the intrinsic excellency of this useful book, it might perhaps appear both needless and assuming for us to pretend to give any further character of it, or recommend it to the esteem and use of the public.

Thus far the very learned and excellent author of this preface had proceeded in it, when it pleased his Lord and Master to call him to the everlasting reward of his labours, to his own unspeakable advantage, but to the great loss of the church, and inexpressible grief of all his surviving friends.

But he having proposed, at his entering upon this preface, not only to give some account of the author, which is all death has permitted him to do, but also to make some observations upon the work itself; some thought the preface would be imperfect if this likewise were not done. It is, therefore, here essayed, though with very unequal abilities.

This excellent treatise (which has been already so often published, translated into foreign languages, and passed the course of more than sixty years with universal applause) hath already its praises in the churches of Christ; and its just and universal esteem so well settled as to need no letters of commendation from any man, especially from so obscure a hand as mine; yet, to give some account of the reasons for which it hath been so highly valued to those who have never read it, to clear and confirm the grounds upon which is founded the just esteem of others who have already perused it, to prevent the

prejudices that may

be entertained by some, and a little to lay open the spirit of the author and his doctrine, that this treatise may be read with the more extensive advantage by all, will, we Hope, not be unacceptable to any, but grateful and edifying to those who are desirous that the church and their own souls should reap all possible advantage by such books as are publish

ed.

The observations that may be made upon this treatise are, either such as concern the style of it, or the doctrine contained in it, or else the authors way and manner of managing his subject, and the several branches of it.

As to the style, that would need but little apology, though the book were appearing now for the first time in the world; for bating some few expressions, and these too occuring but seldom, that are now become somewhat obsolete, the words and phrases used are just and grave, clear and significant, level to the capacity of the meanest, and yet not below that of the greatest. But considering that this treatise was written so many years ago, since which time our language has suffered great changes, the style of it deserves not only our acceptance, but even our high esteem. It is plain, and yet decent, and adorned with all needful beauty; clear, and yet concise and comprehensive; few books written in this country about that time are so pure in their style; and this will be the more valued, if we remember what the author says in his preface, "that in this book he has mainly, if not only, consulted the advantage of the rude and in