is pregreffive, having it's feveral Measures and Degrees, all of which are calculated to lead Us higher up that myflerious Ladder, whofe Top reacheth to Heaven. Or to fpeak in the plaineft and most intelligible Language, the Holy Scriptures point out to Us Three diftin&t Degrees of the Knowledge of GOD; the 1ft. of which is the Knowledge of Him as our CREATOR- the 2d. is the Knowledge of Him as our REDEEMER - and the 3d. is the Knowledge of Him as our REGENERATOR; which Three diftinct Knowledges I have kept in my View, and have endeavour'd to lead my Readers to the Confideration of in the following Poems &c, under a firm Perfuafion, that our present and eternal Happiness will be more or lefs compleat, juft in Proportion to our Attainment of their feveral Degrees and Measures.

The First of these Knowledges I have already spoke of in the Beginning of this Preface, I mean the Knowledge of GOD from his outward and visible Works, as being the Creator of all Things, or as being the Divine Source or Fountain, from whence all other Beings and Things are and exift. This Knowledge, I have obferved, fhou'd lead Us to fee, acknowledge, and adore his marvellous Love, his wonderful Wisdom, and his Almighty Power in the Creation of the World and all Things therein, and fhould be confidered by Us as introductory to further and more excellent Knowledge. We fhould therefore on this Account be careful to cherish and to cultivate this First Degree of the Knowledge of GOD-We fhou'd ftudy to behold. Him in all the vifible Creation, in a Grain of Sand as in the spacious Firmament, in a Blade of Grafs as in the ftately Cedar, in our own Bodies as in the Body of the Universe. And if We ftudied thus to acquire right Ideas of the Love, the Wisdom, and the Power of GOD from his outward Works, All Things wou'd

appear

appear to Us as fo many living Glaffes, wherein We might see a reflected Image of the adorable Creator; and in this Cafe as often as We opened our Eyes, We shou'd behold more or lefs of the Divine Goodness, Truth and Omnipotence, agreeable to the following moft ftriking Words of the Apoftle's, before quoted, The invisible Things of Him from the Creation of the World are clearly feen, being understood by the Things that are made, even His eternal Power and Godhead, Romans. I. 20,

But However excellent this ift. Degree of the Knowledge of GOD is, which is attained by a right Survey, and a due Confideration of his glorious Works of Creation, Yet there is a fecond and a third Knowledge ftill more glorious, more excellent, and more defirable, after which it will be our higheft Wisdom and Happiness to afpire, and to become well acquainted with, I mean the Knowledge of GOD as our REDEEMER, and REGENERATOR.

Now that fame adorable GOD, who created Us and all Worlds, who is ftyled JEHOVAH in the old Teftament and LORD in the New, is called our REDEEMER, because He manifefted Himfelf in the Flesh, or, in other Words, made Himfelf visible in our Human Nature, in order to reconcile the World unto Himfelf, or to reftore Us from the Sin, Misery, and Hellifh Disorder into which We were fallen, and to reinftate Us in the Holiness, the Happiness, and the heavenly Order, which He our good and wife Creator intended We fhou'd for Ever have enjoyed and poffeffed.

Whofoever believes the SACRED SCRIPTURES, and is at all acquainted with what pafles in his own Mind, cannot but experimentally know, that though Man was created in the Image and Likeness of GOD, Yet He did not long continue in the fame, but fell from that bleffed State of heavenly Light and Love in Himfelf

into a felfish State of Hellish Darkness and Evil. Thus having lost his Heavenly Purity, He wanted a heavenly Redeemer or Reftorer to make Him anew, it being im poffible that He cou'd ever redeem or restore Himself. Indeed, He might as well think of raifing Himself from the Dead by a mere Effort of his own, as to think of fubduing the Powers of Hell, and of creating a New heavenly Life without an heavenly and Divine Power. The GOD of infinite and inexpreffible Love, therefore, pitied his poor fallen Creature, who had averted Him. felf from the fweet, reviving Influences of his Love and Wildom; and, by his Manifeftation in the Flefh, was enabled to effect this Work of Redemption and Refloration. By combating in our Nature all the Powers of Darkness and Evil, He totally fubdued Them, and by uniting the Human Nature to the Divine, He made Himself known, and brought Himfelf near, as a mighty GOD and Redeemer; nay, as a tender Father unto all those of his poor fallen Children, Who fhou'd at any time hear and obey his Heavenly Voice, believe in Him the MANIFESTED JEHOVAH, who cou'd only fave Them from their Sins, and apply immediately to Him, their alone Heavenly Parent, for Life and Salvation, under this his New and adorable Manifestation as GOD-MAN, agreeable to his own most gracious Declarations, when He fays, "I am the Refurrection and the Life, and ame "come that They might have Life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John. XI. 25. and X. 10.

Here then We may fee, if We be fo difpofed, what that fecond and third Knowledge of the great and Holy GOD is, to which We, under the Gofpel Difpenfation, are called. It is to know HIM, as the Everlasting Father, the mighty GOD, the Prince of Peace, whofe high and holy Name is JESUS CHRIST, the only GOD and Saviour of Sinners, the Alpha and the Omega, the Be

ginning

ginning and the Ending, the Firft and the Laft, the ALMIGHTY -It is to know HIM, as the Subduer of all the hellish Powers of Sin and Darkness, as the Bringer near of all the heavenly Powers of his own Goodness and Truth, and as the Reftorer of all Mankind to a CAPABILITY of Salvation. It is further to know HIM by Faith and Love in our own Bofoms, as the Beginner and Finisher of a New Life in Us. It is to know HIM as the Reftorer of the Divine image and Likeness, which had been loft by Sin. It is to know HIм as the alone Fountain of all Purity, Power and Peace that can ever be attained by Us. It is to know Him as a heavenly Comforter in all our various Temptations, Exercifes, and Tribulations, as a Spirit of Truth to direct Us in all our Errors and Wanderings, as a Purifier to cleanfe Us from all our fecret Defilements, in a Word, as a REGENERATOR, to create Us anew, to breathe into Us New Life, to beget in Us New Affections, new Tempers, new Habits, new Expectations, new Delights, and new Ways of thinking, and acting, agreeable to the Declaration previously made concerning these higher Degrees of the Knowledge of GOD, where it is written. "As Many as received Him, "to Them gave He Power to become the Sons of GOD, "which were born, not of Blood, nor of the Will of the Flesh, nor of Man, but of GOD." John. I. 12. 13.

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From what has been already advanced in this Preface, if properly weighed and digefted, I am inclined to think, it must be felf-evident, that the prefent and eternal Happiness of all Chriftians must intirely depend on a right Knowledge and Love of GOD, as their Creator, Redeemer, and Regenerator, conjoined with the pure and difinterefted Love of One Another. And if the following Poems &c, contribute the fmalleft Mite towards promoting so desirable an End, the Intention of their Pub

lication

lication is fully anfwered; for my fincereft Prayer to the CREAT GOD OUR SAVIOUR is, that all my Readers may fooner or later attend to and obey his holy Influence of Love and Wisdom in their own Minds, and turn unto Him the great Creator, Redeemer, and Regenerator of all Flesh, whofe high and holy Name, as before obferved, is JESUS CHRIST, and Who can only make Them really and fubftantially Happy Here and for Evermore.

On this Account, therefore, I juft wish to intimate to my friendly Readers, before I conclude my Preface, the great Folly and Danger of refting in any Knowledge of GOD, howfoever excellent in itself, fhort of this Third and highest, and I may venture to add most profitable Knowledge alfo. For what will it avail any of Us, to know GOD as our Creator, from his out ward Works of Creation, if at the fame time We are deftitute of his Love and Wifdom in our own Hearts? Or what will the natural, hiftorical Knowledge of GoD, as our Redeemer, from his more wonderful Works of Redemption, profit Us, if We are so unwife as to remain without a fpiritual and internal faving Knowledge of Him, as our Regenerator, that is, as a GOD of Mer cy, who establishes the Kingdom of his Righteousness, Peace, Purity, Truth and Salvation in our own Bofoms?

Wou'd We then avoid all Danger and Delusion, in what concerns our prefent and eternal Happiness, and become acquainted with the Knowledge and Love of our creating, redeeming and regenerating GOD in JESUS CHRIST, whom to know and to love is prefent and eternal Life? Wou'd We answer the End of our Creation and Redemption, let us begin from Henceforth to feek this our GOD, now in his GLORIFIED HU MANITY in Heaven, not only as our Creator, and Redeemer, but alfo as our Regenerator, to renew Us daily in his bleffed Image, Likeness and Life; and thus