by Jesus Christ unto the glory of God,
Phil. i. 10, 11; and that thou mayest be blameless and harmless, the son
of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,
shining as a light in the world, Phil. ii. 15. Now in reading these
sermons thou shalt perceive, that to help thee in both these, hath been
the very scope and design of this serious preacher. Desirest thou to know
Jesus Christ the Lord of life, either according to his eternal subsistence
in the infinite understanding of the Father, as God, or as to his
appearance in the flesh, as Man, or fitness as Mediator, to reconcile thee
to God his Father, both in respect of willingness and ability to save?
Then here thou shalt behold him delineate to the life. Wouldst thou be
clearly informed anent(220) the only true and sure foundation of
fellowship with God, the way of entertaining it, the honour or happiness
of it, and sweet fruits of it, that fulness of joy that accompanies it?
Here shalt thou find so clear a light as shall rejoice thy soul. Wouldst
thou be fortified against the incursions and recursions of sin and Satan?
Then come to this magazine, and be furnished abundantly. Desirest thou to
have thy soul increased in the love of God, and to see manifest
demonstrations of his love in Christ to thee? Oh! then turn in hither, and
get satisfaction to thy soul's desires. If thou desirest with David, to
hate sin with a perfect hatred, here, if any where, thou shalt obtain thy
desire. Yet let none think that we limit the benefit and usefulness of
these sermons to serious Christians only, and so by consequence exclude
all others from any hope of soul-advantage in reading them. Nay, we
declare, that though it be undeniable, that John did write this epistle
with a special respect to the spiritual advantage of serious Christians,
and that this holy preacher also had this same design, yet we dare be bold
to invite all of what degree soever, to the serious perusing of them,
assuring them that in so doing they shall not find their labour in vain in
the Lord, for here are such pregnant demonstrations of a Deity, infinite,
eternal, omnipotent, incomprehensible, governing all things by the word of
his power, as may dash the boldness of the most metaphysical, notional, or
profanely practical atheist, and with conviction of spirit make him cry
out, as in Psal. lxxiii. 22. "So foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a
beast before thee!" Here are such clear discoveries o