CHRISTIAN READER,
I find, in this latter day, the love of the Lord shining in some measure with its pleasant beams into my heart, warming my affections, inflaming my soul not only to give a spiritual echo in soul duty to so great a lover as my Saviour is, whose transcendent love passeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 19. but also the loving and wishing well to all Sion’s heaven-born children; for I find, in this day, many poor souls tossed to and fro, ready to be carried away with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, Eph. iv. 14: and that there are many foundations to build upon that are false, upon which much labour is spent in vain; that men are not Speaking the truth in love; neither are they growing up unto him in all things, which is the head Christ, Eph. iv. 15. There cannot be a growing in Christ, without a union with him. Thou wilt find, therefore, gentle reader, this ensuing little treatise, if the Lord be pleased to bless the reading of it unto thee, as a still voice behind thee saying, “This is the way, walk in it, that thou turn not to the right hand or the left.”———The way into that pleasant path of soul justification before God is in and through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, for all our self-righteousness is as filthy rags: it surely shall one say, “In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory,” Isai. xlv. 25. It is only the dying of that
