The first whereof, appertaining to RESOLUTION, By ROBERT PARSON S. · Filii hominum, ut quid diligitis vanitatem? You children of men, why love you vanity? PSA. iv. v. 3. Porrò unum eft neceffarium. But one thing is neceffary. LUKE X. V. 42. LIVERPOOL: Printed and Sold by JOHN SADLER, in Harrington-street. M,DCC,LIV. THE PREFACE. C HRISTIAN Reader, the book I offer to your perufal has already appear'd in fo many editions, and so often pass'd thro' the world with that applaufe, with which folid piety will always meet, that it would be needless to detain you in fhewing the value of a work, the lecture of which will force the readers to become its panegyrifts, not only by the praise they will allow it in their difcourfe, but much more folidly by the change of their manners, and refolutions of a virtuous life. For it is almoft impoffi with a serious attention, ble any one should read it, without being penetrated with fuch fentiments of his duty, as will make him refolve, on the practice of whatsoever is neceffary to fulfil it, and attain that great end to which we are all born, which is to love and ferve God in this world, and enjoy him in the next. A THIS THIS was the intention of the author in first publifhing the book; and God almighty has bleffed his pious defigns with fuch an extraordinary fuccefs, that, I dare fay, few or none have perused it with attention, but have been feriously moved to a reform of their manners, by returning from vice, or confirm'd in a regular way of living by the practice of virtue. THIS is alfo my intention in offering to you this new edition. God grant it meet with like fuccefs ; and that the spirit of the author, ftill exciting in the reader those sentiments of Christianity which he breathes in every line, I may have fome fhare in the reward of his good works, having by this edition made myself in fome fort partaker of his labour. THE reafon which firft engaged the pious and learned author to undertake this work, was the love of God and his neighbour. The continual crimes of that diffolute age, by which a perverfe generation not only offended, but infulted and even blafphemed their Creator, ftruck deep into a heart inflam'd with the love of God: and the deplorable blindness of numberlefs Christians, who having in those days abandon'd at once the principles of morality and religion, ran on thoughtless to their eternal ruin, could not but draw tears of compaffion from one who had deeply rooted in him that favourite: precept of his divine Mafter, that commandment. which he calls his own; the obfervance of which he gives as a characteristic of his John 15. Difciples; that commandment, I fay, by which every Christian is taught to love his neighbour as himfelf. He tells us, in the eighth chapter of the second part of his book, the caufes of the diffolute licentioufness of those days were chiefly two. The firft, di vision, vision, schism and herefy in matters of faith, which by raising many doubts, and by contentious quarrels, wearing out man's wit, brings him at length to care for no religion, but rather to contemn all. The fecond, inordinate love of the world, and those things which are of the world, which brings men even to hate God and rank themselves with those whom the Philip 3 Apostle calls Enemies of the Crofs of Chrift. WOULD to God the fame caufes did not continue to produce, in these our days, the like effects! but I fear I may apply to our age, without danger of being impeached of scandal, that faying of the Roman poet, Etas parentum pejor avis, &c. Religion is almost difputed out of doors, barefaced Deifm does not only triumph in every bookfeller's stall, but much more diffufive and loud in thofe public Meetings where numbers who have been baptifed in the Church of Chrift forfwear each day the facred bonds by which, at their regeneration, they were made part of his flock, and blafpheme that very religion of which they were fo folemnly fworn members. IT is no wonder all chriftian virtues fhould be dif carded, where all religion is. Nature will always prevail, where virtue is not grounded on folid principle; and no laws are capable of restraining the will, where no conviction is fufficient to fix the understanding. Hence this univerfal misfortune of our age, in which we see that an unbounded licence of framing even antichristian systems in regard to the law of God, has ufher'd in an unwarrantable liberty of tranfgreffing the most effential precepts of the law-giver. THE Affertion is fact: and I am forry bare-faced wickedness makes it fo clear; I need not instance in particulars to convince the reader. If he has any fentiments A 2 |