Love, and Strains of myftical Diffoluteness, or, as an ingenious Author terms it, spiritualized Concupifcence, invented by the carnal and wanton Appetites and Wishes of the unmarried Nuns and Friars; and thence, either by Defign, or by the Delufion of the Devil, or Both, foifted into the Devotions of the Reformed Church, under a Pretence of purer Flames of Divine Love and fpiritual Rapture; whereas they pollute the Soul with lufcious Images, warm it into irregular Ferments, and fire it with a falfe Paffion; diffipating all due Compofure and Recollection of Mind, and laying open the Heart to all the wild Extravagancies of frantic Enthufiafm: A Manner of Address much fitter for a diffolute Lover, than for an acceptable Worshipper of the allpuer and all-knowing God.

It was against this Kind of Devotion, That great Light of the Church of England, the Learned and Pious Bishop STILLINGFLEET thus exclaimed. "Is it poffible (faid he) that any Man can imagine, it is no "Dishonour to the Chriftian Religion to make the Perfection of the Devotion of it to confift in fuch ftrange "unaccountable Unions and Raptures, which take away "the Ufe of all (Modefty) Reason, and common Sense ! Some Causes of the Decay of Christian

Piety.

It is to fuch Effufions as these we may afcribe, in a great Measure, the Decay of Chriftian Piety. For, they tend to mislead Mens Minds from the true Subject both of their Duty and Happiness, and bring them to acquiefce in their false and mistaken Substitutes: They give great and fignal Difcouragement to the general Practice of Piety in the World, by expofing it to Ridicule, and the Charge of affected Singularity. On the one Hand,

A 3

they

they throw many honeft and well meaning, but weak Minds into a Defpair of ever fucceeding in the Business of Religion; becaufe, upon Examination, they difcover in themselves, little or no Acquaintance with thofe tumultuous Heats, and ungoverned Sallies of Paffion, upon which fo great a Strefs is laid by thefe Pretenders to fuch glorious Frenzies and Heavenly Follies: And on the other, they harden the diffolute and unthinking Part of Mankind into an obstinate Reluctance towards the very first Efforts of Reformation, by confirming them in a Prejudice, they are of themselves too willing to entertain against Religion: That it is a rigorous impracticable Service; a State of unnatural Refinement, altogether incompatible with the common Meafures of human Life. And

This is more than what the above-mentioned Bishop bad before afferted against the Romish Devotions. "This "myftical Divinity, fays he, is not only unintelligible, "but it leads Perfons into Strange Illufions of Fancy; "and this I take to be a very great Injury, not only to thofe melancholy Souls, that are lead through this Valley of Shades and Darkness; but even to the Chriftian Religion itself, as though the Way of Perfection taught by it were a low, mean, contemptible "Thing, in Comparison of these mystical Flights.

In what the Love of GOD confifts.

"It is true, we are commanded often to love God "with all our Heart, but withal we are told, we must "not fancy his Love to be a mere languifhing Paffion ; "No, the Love of Chriftians towards God is no fond "amorous Affection, but a due Apprehenfion and Efteem of the Divine Excellencies, a hearty Senfe of all "bis Kindness to us, and a constant Readiness of Mind

"to do his Will. And thus the beloved Son of God hath "declared what He means by the Love he expects from

his Difciples: If ye love me, fays Chrift, keep my "Commandments; and, ye are my Friends if you "do whatsoever I command' you. And if Says St.

John) any Man fay, I love God, and hateth his "Brother, he is a Lyar; for he that loveth not his "Brother, whom he hath feen, how can he love "God whom he hath not feen? No Man hath seen "God at any Time. If we love one another, God "dwelleth in us, and his Love is perfected in us. Thus "the beloved Difciple, who understood the great Myfte"ries of Divine Love, hath expreffed them to us. And,

"Here (you fee) is nothing of blind Elevations of the "Will; no extatic nor lufcious Expreffions; no, it is "very plain that all fuch myftical Notions, and luf"cious Metaphors and Expreffions had another Spring "and a more impure Fountain, than the Chriftian "Doctrine." For, as the faid devout and judicious Prelate adds, " fuppofing that myftical Way of Perfec"tion were poffible, I could fee no Neceffity at all of "Chrift's coming into the World, nor of any Influence his Death, or Suffering, or Doctrine, could have "upon the bringing Men to a State of Happiness."

For thefe Reafons I thought it my Duty, as a Chrifian, to explode that fulfome and lufcious Method of the Old Week's Preparation, which has moft fcandaloufly put into the Mouth of the devout Reader fuch carnal Expreffions as are mentioned above: And in their Stead I have endeavoured to fubftitute fuch Prayers and Meditations, as may be warranted from the Word of God: Being thoroughly fenfible how well-grounded that Complaint of the pious Bishop FLEETWOOD is," that the Devotions of the Ignorant are generally fuperftitious and "grofs, fixing themselves commonly on fenfible Objects;

6 whereas

whereas in true Religion all is intelligible and divine, stand God, who fhould be the only Object of their Devotion, hath hardly any Share therein.'

Some Account of this Work.

As it has been my Endeavour on the one Hand not to Aatter Sinners; so on the other, I have been careful not to fill the Minds of any with unneceffary Fears, and Scruples, with Refpect to a Duty, which ought to be the Practice of their whole Lives; as if no body ought to go to this Sacrament, but fuch as are as perfect as ever they can hope to be.

On the contrary, it is the Judgment of the most Orthodox Divines, that (abftracting from particular Circumftances) a Man cannot too often commemorate our Lord and his Paffion, nor too often return devout Thanks and Praifes for the fame, nor too often repeat his Refolutions of Amendment, nor too often renew his folemn Engagements, nor too often receive Pardon of Sins, and fresh Succours of Divine Grace: And if coming to the Lord's Table (prepared, or unprepared) were a fure and infallible Way to answer thofe good and great Ends, there could then be no Question, but that it would be both our Wisdom and our Duty to communicate as often as Oppcrtunities fhould invite, and Health permit. But it is certain, on the other hand, that bare communicating is not the Thing required, but communicating worthily. Here lies the main Stress of all, not to urge Frequency of Communion fo far as to render this Holy Sacrament hurtful, or fruitless to the Parties concerned; neither yet to abate fo far of the Frequency, as to make a Kind of Dearth or Famine of this fo falutary and neceffary Food. For the clearer understanding of this Matter, it may be neceffary to take notice, that fince it is allowed on all Hands, that there can be no juft Bar to Frequency of

*

Commu

Communion, but the Want of Preparation, which is only fuch a Bar as Men may themselves remove, if they pleafe; it concerns them highly to take off the Impediment as foon as poffible, and not to trust to vain Hopes of alleviating ene Fault by committing another. The Danger of mifperforming any Religious Duty, is an Argument for Fear and Caution, but no Excufe for Neglect: God infifts upon the doing it, and the doing it well alfo. It was no fufficient Plea for the flothful Servant, under the Gofpel, that he thought his Mafter hard to please, and thereupon neglected his bounden Duty: But on the contrary the Ufe he ought to have made of that Confideration was, to have been fo much the more wakeful and diligent in his Master's Service. Therefore in the Cafe of the Holy Communion, it is to very little Purpose to plead the Strictness of the Self-Examination or Preparation, by Way of Excufe either for a total, or for a frequent, or for a long Neglect of it. A Man may fay, that he comes not to the Lord's Table, because he is not prepared, and fo far he affigns a good Reason; but if he Should be further afked, why he is not prepared, when he may; then he can only make fome trifling, infufficient Excufe, or remain speechless.

In short, I have spared no Pains to render these Meditations and Prayers as generally useful, as can be expected in a Book of this Kind; yet, as the best Performances have their Imperfections, fo this (to be fure) is not without fome. However, I hope there are none fo material but what a Chriftian may over-look for the Sake of that Good, which is intended by it. Again, that all thefe Meditations and Prayers are entirely new, is by no Means pretended; no, there will be found amongst them several collected from other Books; but then these being fuch only, as have been allowed to be excellent in their Kind, it may reasonably be expected that the whole will be the more acceptable on that Account.

Upon