To the Reader
Discourses on Regeneration by Stephen Charnock
EDINBURGH: JAMES NICHOL
LONDON: JAMES NISBET AND CO. DUBLIN: W. ROBERTSON; G.
HERBERT
M.DCCC.LXIV.–M.DCCC.LXVI.
To The Reader THE quick sale of this excellent author's former volume, viz., his
Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God, as well as that of Divine Providence, considering how heavily the works of some others on such like subjects have gone off in our decrepit age, may be abundant evidence what acceptance they have found with the judiciously pious, who converse with books, and thereupon afford persuasive hopes that more of the genuine and useful issue of the same father, not less like to him than those born before, will yet be more favourably entertained. Wherefore, presuming we have not any way impeached our reputation by anything we wrote in the foregoing
Prefaces, if thou wilt (without any repetition of the same with respect to these) but give us credit till thou hast took a distinct view by a due proportion of the several well-made parts and features here
presented to thine eye by us, who were desired to perform this office of love to our deceased worthy friend, we doubt not but thou wilt easily say, As those treatises were, so these are, Judges 8:18; yea (as Joseph's brethren said, Gen. 42:11, 13), 'All sons of one man in the land of Canaan' above, each one resembling the children of him that now 'rests from his labours, and his works do follow him,' Rev. 14:13, being 'made a king and priest unto God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ,' Rev. 1:5, whom he served with his spirit in the gospel, Rom.
1:9, which the choice heads of evangelical truths, clearly opened and practically applied in this volume, may largely attest, and so give a supersedeas to any further recommendation of ours. The rather, when thou mayest be fully assured that a considerable part, namely, the learned and spiritual Discourses of Regeneration, were carefully copied out by one † of the former happy undertakers; and though another, who attained to the skill of perfectly reading his manuscripts, was chiefly employed in transcribing the major part of this great work from the author's own copy, yet the transcript hath been diligently compared with the original by the other ‡ of the former transcribers before we read it each of us separately, and afterwards those passages conjunctly, in consultation together, wherein either of us conceived any little scruple might arise concerning the author's genuine sense, we saw re-examined, being studious to do him all the right we could, and give his own meaning in his own words unto the world, without adventuring to interpose our own conceptions. Yet after our utmost care, and the vigilant supervisal of the press by an ingenious person,§ who did much honour the author, we doubt not but had he himself survived the publication of what now appears, he would have sweetened and given grace to some lines that we presume not to alter. If, then, there should be found some things less clear, or any metaphor less pleasing, there be other things of greater weight singularly well delivered will abundantly compensate it; yea, which will greatly
inform the judgment, affect the serious heart, and notably quicken to the main business of religion, and possibly, as the remains of the prophet Elisha, 2 Kings 13:21, which revived the man that was occasionally let down into his sepulchre, be a means, under God's gracious influence, to enliven some spiritually dead soul, set him upright, and enable him to run the ways of God's commandments; or, like the writing left behind Elijah, 2 Chron. 21:12, compared with 2 Kings 2:11, and 3:11, serve to warm some who are contributing to the removal of the gospel from among us. However, this later, with the former volume, will evince to those who are addicted to an over hasty censuring men of his persuasion, without any just grounds, what his great soul was mostly exercised about, namely, not matters of human policy, but the great things of the kingdom of God; not meats and drinks, i.e. mere circumstances, but the essentials and substantials of the Christian institution, righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom. 14:17, which we are confident he hath explained very consonant to the doctrinal articles of religion, drawn up by our first reformers, and subscribed by the minsters of the Church of England. We know not that he doth at all vary from them, or other of the reformed churches. Discipline he doth not insist on. And we suppose ingenuous readers, if they find in any little matter his sentiments different from their own, will freely give an allowance for a fair interpretation of the author's sense, at least in a posthumous work, and not wiredraw any sentences a working fancy might produce, and not review, to make them look crooked; considering what we are put in mind of in this book,* viz., every error in the head doth no more destroy the truth of faith, than every miscarriage in the life, through infirmity, nulls the being of grace; or every spot upon the face impairs the beauty and features of it.
Some who have heartily blessed God for those good things they have already received since this author's departure (and we have no small
engagement upon us to be thankful to God for good books, when there be such swarms of bad ones), do with greedy eyes long to peruse his meditations upon the proposed subjects; which now appearing to their view, we are persuaded will easily gain their grateful acknowledgments that they are not disappointed, when they here find the fruitful products of the very same spirit of Mr
Charnock, which was of no ordinary elevation.
And however, in the Discourse of Christ's Exaltation, there be some few materials which be of the same import with some of those in that of Reconciliation, yet handled with an acceptable variety, this might easily so fall out in the course of his celebrated preaching, not designing to lay them together in one volume, without the least disparagement; yea, now they are printed, the bottomless pit being opened, Rev. 9:2, by the papists' causing smoke to arise thence to trouble the eyes of real Chistians, the inculcating of such choice notions seems to be an angelical voice from heaven opened, Rev.
19:11, to direct God's chosen ones into that way of truth which others have not known. And if, in two or three smaller tracts, the author seem not altogether so elaborate as in his other pieces, it cannot but be granted that they were some occasional sermons composed in great straits of time; yet such as kindly savour of the same spirit with the rest, unto which it was thought fit to annex them, that there might not be any occasion to mutter that we had kept back part of what was primarily dedicated to the use of the church; or locked up in secret any pieces of so good an author, whose business, whilst he lived, was to benefit others; being happy in verifying the Arabic proverb, viz., that that learned scholar is the worst of men, who doth not profit others by his learning.
As to that discourse about The Spirit's convincing the World of Sin, the author's own notes, upon stricter search, not being found, two
skilful shorthand writers,* who constantly attended his ministry, have supplied the defect, from what they both took from his own mouth, when they had compared their notes; which supply, though it should want somewhat of the accuracy of those other parts transcribed from his own manuscripts, yet those who are not over critical will find, for the completing of these discourses upon that text, not much real detriment; and upon the whole matter, not any detracting from that powerful name which the title page is adorned with. We therefore taking the freedom to advise thee, Christian reader, of those things, are not much concerned with the carping censures of supercilious critics, having, we hope, conscientiously done what was incumbent on us with all faithfulness, in emitting these writings, which might, as Peter's, be beneficial after his decease to the public, 2 Peter 1:15, which was not more the design of the deceased author in his ministry, than of his yet surviving friends, and Thy servants, for Jesus's sake,
RICHARD ADAMS.
EDWARD VEAL.
Sept. 24. 1683.