Preface
PREFACE.
inUre/l ofchnfl s church, both in America and Eu-
nd there is reason to hope that tho he is
rope,
now dead, he will yet speak for a great while yet td come, to the great comfort and advantage of the church of Chrijl that his publications w til produce a yet greater harvejl, as an addition to his joy and crown of ;
rejoicing in the day of the Lord,
But the deftgn of the following memoirs, is not meer things, and tell the world how eminently great, wife, holy and useful Prefident Edwards was hut rather to inform in what way, and by what ly to publijh theje
means he attained to such an uncommon flock of knowledge and hainefs and how, in the improvement of th St he did so much good to mankind that others may hereby be direded and excited to go and do likewtfe. The reader is therefore not to eape l a mcer encomium ;
on the dead, but a faithful and plain narration of mat-ters offacl, together
with his own inter nal.exercises,
expre/s d in his own words ;
and is deftred net to look
on the foilozuingcompojur e-so much an ad of frtendfhlp tt being only to the dead, as of kmdnef to the living an attempt to render a life that has been greatly use;
nd as this is designed for the reaful yet more Jo. der's goad, he if dejired to remember, that if he gets no benefit hereby ; ts not made wtfer nor better, gains no shill or dijpofiuon to live an holy and ujeful life, all is in
vain as to him,
IN this world, so full of darkness and delusion, it is of great importance that all fl>ould he able to dillnu guiic between true reiiown and that which i false. In this, perhaps none has taken more pains, r labour d ,
jure fiiccejsfa'dy, reader.
than he whcfe life is set before the
And it is presumed that hn. rebgious rejoin-
tions, exercises and conduit here c.xhthitci. zuill jerrc well to exemplify and iliii'lraic all ihcU be has "u-rcte on
PREFACE.
ihis/ubje . Here pure and undefiled religion Jn diflinction from all counterfeits appears in life and pradice
exhibiting apiBurewhich will tend to inftrub'jlrength
en and comfort all thofe, who in their religious fenti" ments and exercises, are built on the foundation of the
apofiles
and prophets of which Jesus Chrifl is the and practice in
chief corner stone ; while their hearts
some measure answer to it, as
in water, face answer-
And here, they who have hitherto uneth to face, happily been in darkness aid delufton, in this infinitely important ajfair may have matter of infiru6tion and convifiion.
This is a point about which, above many other, the proteflant world is in the dark, and needs inflrubion,
as Mr, Edwards was more and more convinced, the longer he lived ; and which he was wont frequently to observe in conversation. If therefore these his remains are adapted to answer this end, and may be considered as a word behind all to whom they fhali come, * saying, ff AT, walk ye in ts\ and fhallm THIS IS this view, be blejfed to many it will be a relief under one ofthegreatefl calamities that attend the chriflian world, and promote that important end, so worthy the
aUntion and pursuit of all and in which he from this mantle falls, was zealously engaged, and which he furfued to the end of his life. -y
whom
In this view especially, is the following life offered the piihhc, with an earnefl desire that every reader may faithfully improve it to this purpose zvhile he candidly overlooks any improprieties and deJeSls which to
he may observe to be chargeable on the compiler ; i jho is he knows in a great degree unequal to what is hers attempted.