PREFACE.

7HOSOEVER thou art to whofe hands this

W book mall come, 1 prefume to put thee in

mind of the divine command, binding on thy confcience, Deut. i. 17. Ye fhall not refpect perfons in 'judgment, but you fhall hear the fmall as well as 'the great.' Reject not the book with contempt, nor with indignation neither, when thou findeft it intituled, The Marrow of Modern Divinity, left thou do it to thine own hurt. Remember, that our bleffed Lord himself was accounted a friend of publicans and 'finners,' Mat. xi. 19. Many faid of him, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? John x. 20. The apostle Paul was flanderously reported to be an Antinomian; one who, by his doctrine, encouraged men to do evil, Rom. iii. 8. and made void the law, verfe 31. And the first martyr, in the days of the gospel, was stoned for pretended 'blafphemous words ' against Mofes, and against the law,' Acts vi. 11, 13. The gospel method of fanctification, as well as of juftification, lies fo far out of the ken of natural reafon, that if all the rationalifts in the world, Philofophers and divines had confulted together to lay down a plan, for repairing the loft image of God in man, they had never hit on that which the divine wisdom hath pitched upon, viz. That finners fhould be fanctified in Chrift Jefus, 1 Cor. i. 2. by faith in him, Acts xxvi. 18. Nay, being laid before them, they would have rejected it with difdain as foolishness, 1 Gor. i. 23..

In all views which fallen man hath, towards the means of his own recovery, the natural bent is to the way of the covenant of works. This is evident in the cafe of the vast multitudes throughout the world embracing Judaifm, Paganifm, Mahometanifm, and Popery. All thefe agree in this one principle, "That

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"it is by doing men must live," tho' they hugely differ as to the things to be done for life.

The Jews, in the time of Julian, the apoftate, attempted to rebuild their temple, after it had lain many years in ruins, by the decree of heaven never to be built again; and ceafed not, till, by an earthquake, which hook the old foundation, and turned all down to the ground, they were forced to forbear, as So'crates the hiftorian tells us, lib. 3. cap. 20. But the Jews were never more addicted to that temple, than mankind naturally is to the building on the firft covenant and Adam's children will by no means quit it, until mount Sinai, where they defire to work what they do work, be all on a fire about them. O that thefe, who have been frighted from it, were not fo ready to go back towards it.

Howbeit, that can never be the channel of fancti. 'fication, what way foever men prepare it, and fit it out for that purpose; because it is not, by divine appointment, the miniftration of righteoufnefs and life, 2 Cor. iii.

And hence it is always to be obferved, that as the doctrine of the gofpel is corrupted, to introduce a more rational fort of religion, the flood of loosenefs and licentioufnefs fwells proportionably; infomuch that morality brought in for doctrine, in room and ftead of the gofpel of the grace of God, never fails to be, in effect, a fignal for an inundation of immorality in practice. A plain inftance hereof is to be feen in the grand apoftaly from the truth and holinefs of the gofpel, viz. Popery. And on the other hand, real and thorow reformation in churches is always the effect of gospel-light, breaking forth again, from under the cloud which had gone over it; and hereof the church of Scotland, among others, hath oftner than once had comfortable experience.

The real friends of true holinefs do then exceedingly mistake their measures, in affording a handle, on any occafion whatfoever, for advancing the principles of Legalifm, for bringing under contempt the

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good old way, in which our fathers found rest to their fouls, and for removing the ancient land-marks which they fet.

It is now above fourfcore years fince this book made its first entrance into the world, under the title of The Marrow of Modern Divinity, at that time, not unfitly prefixed to it: but it is too evident, it hath outlived the fitnefs of that title. The truth is, the divinity therein taught is no more the modern, bat the ancient divinity, as it was recovered from underneath the Antichriftian darknefs; and as it stood, before the tools of the late refiners on the Proteftant doctrine were lifted up upon it; a doctrine which, being from God, must needs be according to godliness.

It was to contribute towards the preferving of this doctrine, and the withstanding of its being run down, under the odious name of Antinomianism, in the difadvantageous fituation it hath in this book, whose undeferved lot is to be every where fpoken against, that the following notes were written.

And herein two things chiefly have had weight. One is, Left that doctrine, being put into fuch an ill. name, fhould become the object of the fettled averfi. on of fober perfons, and they be thereby betrayed into Legalifm. The other is, Left in thefe days of God's indignation, fo much appearing in fpiritual judgments, fome taking up the principles of it, from the hand of this author and ancient divines, for truths; fhould take the fenfe, fcope, and defign of them, from (now) common fame; and fo be betrayed unto real Antinomianifm.

Reader, Lay afide prejudices, look and fee with thine own eyes, call things by their own names, and do not reckon Anti Baxterianifm, or Anti-Neonomi anifm to be Antinomianism; and thou shalt find no Antinomianifm taught here; but thou wilt perhaps be furprised to find, that that tale is told of Luther, and other famous Proteftant divines, under the borrowed

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rowed name of the despised E. F. author of the Marrow of Modern Divinity.

For thy eafe and benefit in this edition, the book is divided into Chapters and Sections, greater and leffer, according to the fubject matter, with running Titles, not used in any edition of it heretofore; Typographical errors, not a few, are by comparing of copies of feveral impreffions, here corrected: the periods, which in many places were fomewhat indiftinct, are thro' the whole more carefully distinguished, to the rendering of the fenfe of the author more clear: the letters of reference, brought into the Edinburgh edition 1718, for avoiding of the fide-margin, which preceding editions had, are here retained for the fame reafon; and fo are the fcripture-texts, in the body of the book, which were there brought from the fide-margin of fore-going impreffions, the proper places being affigned to fuch of them as were found to be mifplaced. The Appendix is referved for the fecond part, where the author himself placed it.

As for the Notes; in them words, phrafes, and things are explained; truth cleared, confirmed, and vindicated the annotator making no bones of declaring, his diffent from the author, where he faw just ground for it..

I make no queftion but he will be thought by fome to have conftructed too favourably of feveral paffages: but, as it is nothing ftrange, that he incline to the charitable fide, the book having been many years ago bleffed of God to his own foul; fo, if he hath erred on that fide, it is the fafeft of the two, for thee and me, judging of the words of another man, whofe ends, I believe with Mr. Burroughs, to have been very fincere for God, and the reader's good. However, I am fatisfied he has dealt candidly in that matter, according to his light.

Be advised always to read over a leffer fection of the book, before reading any of the notes thereupon, that you may have the more clear understanding of the whole.

I conclude this preface, in the words of two eminent profeffors of theology, deferving our serious regard.

"I dread mightily that a rational fort of religion is "coming in among us : I mean by it, a religion that "confifts in a bare attendance on outward duties and "ordinances, without the power of godlinefs; and "thence people fhall fall into a way of ferving God, "which is mere deifm, having no relation to Christ Jefus and the Spirit of God." Memoirs of Mr. Halyburton's life, page 199.

"Admoneo igitur vos, &c. i. e. Therefore I warn "you, and each one of you, especially fuch as are to "be directors of the confcience, that you exercise your"felves in ftudy, reading, meditation and prayer, fo as you may be able to inftruct and comfort both your own and others confciences in the time of tempta"tion, and to bring them back from the law to grace, "from the active (or working) righteousness to the "paffive (or received) righteoufnefs; in a word, "from Mofes to Chrift." Luth, comment. in epift. ad Gal. page 27.

April 1726.

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To the READER.

F thou wilt pleafe to parufe this little book thou fhalt find great worth in it. There is a line of a gracious fpirit drawn through it, which hath fastened many precious truths together, and prefented them to thy view: according to the variety of mens fpirits, the various ways of prefenting known truths are profitable. The grace of God hath helped this author in making his work; if it in like manner help thee in reading, thou fhalt have caufe to blefs God for thefe truths thus brought to thee, and for the labours of this good man, whofe ends, I believe, are very fincere for God and thy good.

JER. BURROUHGS.