vine Affistance in the Compofition of the following Work, and the innumerable other Mercies which thou haft vouchsafed to bestow on thy unworthy Servant; he findeth himself under the greatest obligations to offer up this his System (containing the Principles of thy facred Worship, according to thy revealed Word) unto thy great and glorious Name, humbly befeeching thee to accept his unfeigned, tho' unworthy Sacrifice of Praife, and Thanksgiving for the fame; and hoping it may prove agreeable to thee, through Jefus Chrift, thy only Son our Lord and Saviour.

في

Thy Servant, O Lord, hath explained the Verity of our reafonable Service; for thy Kingdom is a Kingdom of Truth, in which none can enter, but thofe who love the Truth as it is in Chrift, and have experienced its Efficacy within themfelves, which is the Kingdom of God established in their Souls.

Thou knoweft. the Defign of thy Servant, which the Edfication of Mankind, to win them for thee his Lord and Mafter; and may it please thee to that Purpose, to bless his feeble tho' earnest Attempts.

He hath endeavoured to conduct his

fellow

fellow Creatures to the fupreme and E-
ternal Good in Chrift Jefus, the only
faithful Saviour, in whom the Soul can
find eternal Confolation: But as our
best Deeds in this Life are all imperfect
and polluted with Sin; and
with Sin; and we only
know and are fanctified in Part, 'till the
fplendor of heavenly Perfection fhall dif-
pel all Vapours of Ignorance and Imper-
fection; fo alfo is thy Servant perfuaded,
and doth confefs it before thee, that this,
as well as all his other Works, is not
without its Faults, been composed with
the Frailties to which human Nature is
fubject, tho' with a fincere Intention to
the Glory of thy Name, the Edfication
of thy Church; and to promote (in Ex-
pectation of thy divine Bleffing) the e-
ternal Salvation of his fellow Creatures.

O merciful Father, forgive thou his Sins, cleanse him from fecret Faults, by the Sacrifice of thy only Son; forgive thofe Errors, which through the Imperfection of his Under ding may appear in this his Performance.

May it please thy divine Majesty," favourably to receive from the Hand and Heart of thy uworthy Servant, this Work (which he in and for thy Name and

thro'

t

t

thro' thy Affiftance hath thus laboured,) let it be crowned with thy Approbation.

Pour down thy heavenly Bleffing upon it; take it under thy powerful Protection; defend it against the Attacks of Satan and the Enemies of thy Truth, that by the Co-operation of thy Spirit, it may be profperous and fuccefsful, anfwering the defired End, propofed in the writing and publishing of it; namely, the Glory of thy Name, the Propagation of the Gospel in this and other Places; the Illumination and Repentance of many (hit herto) ignorant and ungodly Sinners; the Increase of the Knowledge, Faith, Hope, and Sanctification of thy Flock.

And while our heedlefs Youth is generally wandering as in a Wilderness, with little or no Inftruction in thy pure Doctrine, may this Work, O gracicus God! be an Instrument in thy Hand to convince both Parents and Children of their Duty, to the Praife of thy Name, and the Comfort and Saltion of their immortal Souls.

Let it be crowned with thy Bleffing, O merciful God! who hath promifed to establish the Work of thy Servants. Thy Servant doth prefent it to thy

Throne

Throne, even as he trufteth that he hath received it from thee; let it anfwer the End propofed, that is the Praife of thy Name, the Joy and Welfare of his Soul, as well as the Souls of others.

O gracious Lord! have Pity of thy Church, increase in us true Religion; let all your Servants more and more labour to reform and take Heed to their Miniftry to fulfil it; take Heed to their felves, and to the Flocks over which the Holy Ghoft had made them Overfeers; let them fo ftudy and preach, fo-pray and converfe among their People, that they may both fave themselves and them that hear them; let them frequently and industriously improve their Time and Talents for Chrift; let them prudently contrive, zealously and unanimously execute their holy Contrivances for the Advancement of thy Kingdom, and Interest of Chrift in the Souls of their People: O mighty God, exhort alfo the Members of thy Church, to affift us with Prayers and all holy Endeavours in that Work; let them confider, as bleffed an Opportunity that very Seafon of Mercy they have now, as their Souls can defire; give them hungry Appetites to the Word. of Grace; open thou their Eyes that they

may

may

behold wonderous Things out of thy Law; fanctifié them through thy Truth; thy Word is Truth: Let their whole Spirits and Souls, and Bodies, be preferved Blamelefs unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Christ.

O God, do good in thy good Pleasure unto Zion; build thou the Walls of Jerufalem; make all thy Servants stedfaft unmovable, always abounding in the Works of the Lord, for as much, as we know, that our Labour is not in vain in the Lord, who is worthy to receive, all Praise and Glory for ever, Amen.

業

Το