A true & faithful relation of what passed for many yeers between Dr ...

7he T%EFACE.
all cKcfe it is poffible ro glorifie God, We grant, were itiTtJor uscopre-
icpi?)e unto Cod, neglcdting chofe that lie hath appointed. -by what-.«-n^aiis
he (Iiocld be glorified,- and could we iecure ouc Selves that, jnprecendiag to
Godsglouy^wedo not feck oar own. Jwifh that our great undercak(^?i":4Hd
reformeis'Cfuch is their wifdom they think) pfArcs and Scici^x^ps wouj^Fioufly
thiiik of this; they efpeciiliy who take upon themfclves^q makealJ men
wile and of one mind, and to reconcile all doubts and difficulties in l^ligJQa,
and otherwilc; ina word,to makeTriithtpbeimbracedby all men. Sh(^uld
thefe men tell us that if they had.hadj:heCreatingof the world^ and thepiKle-
.tingof all things (and there be, Ithink,.iothe world that have (aid little-^ijs)
from thebeginning,they would have made, an other giiefs of things; th^a t^fya
had done;^J('e would have coniiderd of it perchance what might be theground
..in any rnort?! man of ftich wonderful confidence. But ^uch'b^ingtheqQn^i-
•'tion of the world^as it is,and l]ich of men^tiaturallyjor tolpeak asa Chi|iftia:n,
fincethe bllof/«,and.thecQniequences of it, thecinfeofGod^&c.to makne
all men Wife, of onemind^ good, religious, without an infinite omnipQt^gt
power,fuch as of nothing was able to create a world : cananymanfrober^nd
wife) hear it-hear it With patience, that thinks it impoilible, yea ftrange, that
Caftles fliould be btwltin the air , pt the heavens battered with great guns'^?
And yet fuch booksare read , 'yea and miich fet by, by fome men. My judg-
rocnt is, That they are :o bcpi|;tyed (if diilemper be the caufe^as'l believe it js
in Ibm.ejthat boait of fuch things; but if wife and politick,co getcrediL^nd
rn^)ney(as iome I believe) it is'a:gi:eat argument of their c6nfidencej,that there
h^nany in the wotd that are npx,very wife^ But to return to Dx.D^e-: In
might be fuiLuci added and proved by exarriples, that fome men oftranlcen-
4ent holine/s3Lnd mortification ( in the fight of rnen) Co fecjucfired from the
world (fome ofthem} and the vanities of it, that for many years they had con-
verfed with God alone in a manner ^ yet through pride and conceit of their
own parts and bvour with God,fell into delufiom and temptations,,. if not alto-
gether the fame, yet not lefs ftrange and dreadful. Such examples Ecclefiafiir
cal Story will afford,and other books of that nature, but I have them not at
this time, and I conceive I have faid enough to this particular.
But of his ^rayiio too, fomewhat would be obferved. His Spirits tell him
romcwi?erc,thathehadthe Gift of Graying. Truly I believe he had, a^it is
ordinarily called : that is, that he could expVefs himlelfvery fluently and ear-
neftly in Prayer,andthat he did it often to his own great contentment. Lee
no man wonder at this,- I havs, riiuwcd elsewhere that Ibme that have been
very wicked, yea, fome that dyed for blafphcmy, and with blalphemy in
their mouth to the laftgafp, have had it in a great meafure, and done m^uch
miichief by it. It is no dilparagement to Prayer, no more then it is to the
beft things of the world (and what better and more heavenly then prayer well
u(ed r ) it cheybe abuied. Aid it is commonly ob(erved,that the corruption
of beft things is moft dang^>ous. What bred thole pernicious hereticks
that folong troubled the world, and could notbefiippreftedbutby abfoluce
deftruction , but long affected prayers ( therefore called £Ko';im or xVff/jQ/ww,
that IS to lay,the ^^rayen) and Enthufiafms ? And as to that point oi: ml\?iird
joy and compiacency , which fome Schifmaticks and wicked men find ia
E them-