A PREFACE: Or brief Account of the publish∣ing of this Work: Written by the Author thereof, and dedicated to those whom God hath counted him wor∣thy to beget to Faith, by his Ministry in the Word.

CHildren, Grace be with you, Amen. I being ta∣ken from you in presence, and so tied up, that I can∣not perform that duty that from God doth lie upon me, to you-ward, for your further edifying and building up in Faith and Holi∣ness, &c. Yet that you may see my Page  [unnumbered] Soul hath fatherly care and desire af∣ter your spiritual and everlasting Welfare; I now once again, as from the top of Shenir and Hermon, so from the Lions Dens, and from the Moun∣tains of the Leopards, (Song 4.8.) do look yet after you all, greatly long∣ing to see your safe arrival into THE desired Haven.

I thank God upon every Remem∣brance of you, and rejoyce even while I stick between the Teeth of the Lions in the Wilderness, at the grace, and mercy, and knowledge of Christ our Saviour, which God hath bestowed upon you, with abundance of Faith and Love. Your hungerings and thirstings also after further acquain∣tance with the Father in his Son; your tenderness of Heart, your trem∣bling at sin, your sober and holy de∣portment also, before both God and men, is great refreshment to me: for you are my glory and joy, 1 Thes. 2.20.

I have sent you here enclosed a drop of that honey, that I have taken out of Page  [unnumbered] the Carcase of a Lyon, Judg. 14.5, 6, 7, 8. I have eaten thereof my self al∣so, and am much refreshed thereby. (Temptations when we meet them at first, are as the Lyon that roared up∣on Sampson: but if we overcome them, the next time we see them, we shall finde a Nest of Honey within them.) The Philistians understand me not. It is a Relation of the work of God upon my own Soul, even from the very first, till now; wherein you may perceive my castings down, and raisings up: for he woundeth, and his hands make whole. It is written in the Scripture, Isai. 38.19. The fa∣ther to the children shall make known the truth of God. Yea, it was for this reason I lay so long at Sinai, (Lev. 4.10, 11.) to see the fire, and the cloud, and the darkness, that I might fear the Lord all the days of my life upon earth, and tell of his wondrous works to my chil∣dren, Psal. 78.3, 4, 5.

Moses, Numb. 33.1, 2. writ of the Page  [unnumbered] Journeyings of the children of Israel from Egypt to the Land of Canaan; and commanded also, that they did remember their forty years travel in the wilderness. Thou shalt remem-all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wil∣derness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, and to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no, Deut. 8.2, 3. Wherefore this I have endea∣voured to do; and not onely so, but to publish it also; that, if God will, others may be put in remembrance of of what he hath done for their Souls, by reading his work upon me.

It is profitable for Christians to be often calling to mind the very begin∣nings of Grace with their Souls. It is a night to be much observed to the Lord, for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generati∣ons, Exod. 12.42. My God, saith Page  [unnumbered] David, Psal. 42.6. my soul is cast down within me; but I will remem∣ber thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. He remembred also the Lyon and the Bear, when he went to fight with the Giant of Gath, 1 Sam. 17.36, 37:

It was Pauls accustomed manner, Acts 22. and that when tried for his life, Acts 24. even to open before his Judges the manner of his Conversion: He would think of that day and that hour, in the which he first did meet with Grace: for he found it support unto him When God had brought the children of Israel thorow the Red Sea, far into the wilderness; yet they must turn quite about thither again, to remember the drowning of their e∣nemies there, Num. 14.25. for though they sang his praise before, yet they soon forgat his works, Psal. 106.11, 12.

In this Discourse of mine, you may see much; much, I say, of the Grace Page  [unnumbered] of God towards me: I thank God I can count it much; for it was above my sins, and Satans temptations too. I can remember my fears, and doubts, and sad moneths, with comfort; they are as the head of Goliah in my hand: there was nothing to David like Go∣liahs sword, even that sword that should have been sheathed in his bow∣els; for the very sight and remem∣brance of that, did preach forth Gods Deliverance to him. O the remem∣brance of my great sins, of my great temptations, and of my great fears of perishing for ever! They bring fresh into my mind, the remembrance of my great help, my great support from Heaven, and the great grace that God extended to such a Wretch as I.

My dear Children, call to mind the former days, the years of ancient times; remember also your songs in the night, and commune with your own heart, Psal. 73.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Yea, look diligently, and leave no corner therein unsearched, for there is Page  [unnumbered] •reasure hid, even the treasure of your first and second experience of the grace of God toward you. Remem∣ber, I say, the Word that first laid hold upon you; remember your ter∣rours of conscience, and fear of death and hell: remember also your tears and prayers to God; yea, how you sighed under every hedge for mercy. Have you never a Hill Mizar to re∣member? Have you forgot the Close, the Milk-house, the Stable, the Barn, and the like, where God did visit your Soul? Remember also the Word, the Word, I say, upon which the Lord hath caused you to hope: If you have sin∣ned against light, if you are tempted to blaspheme, if you are down in de∣spair, if you think God fights against you, or if heaven is hid from your eyes; remember 'twas thus with your Father, but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

I could have enlarged much in this my discourse of my temptations and troubles for sin, as also of the merciful Page  [unnumbered] kindness and working of God with my Soul: I could also have stept into a stile much higher then this in which I have here discoursed, and could have adorned all things more the• here I have seemed to do: but I dare not: God did not play in convincing of me; the Devil did not play in tem∣pting of me; neither did I play when I sunk as into a bottomless pit, when the pangs of hell caught hold upon me: wherefore I may not play in my relating of them, but be plain and simple, and lay down the thing as i• was: He that liketh it, let him receive it; and he that does not, let him pro∣duce a better. Farewel.