I had from God. My reason for this is, because there are so many sermons in the world that have been published in our days, which I thought were very excellent, and, in consequence, entertained a very high opinion of their authors; but, since a few old books have been lent me for my opinion of them, I have seen the mines out of which even whole volumes have been dug: this rather disgusted me, and has for ever cured me of picking and stealing; nor do I desire to shine in the rays of another man's testimony. However, some of these great men, who, I am informed, have condemned my writings, have put out some pages of them as their own, that never appeared in the world till I sent them out.

The learned Charnock, and Herman Witsius, seem to contribute greatly towards many of our new publications; though the authors have not been honest enough to own it. Their reasons for this are best known to themselves.

I must inform my reader that I have given another public offence that I never intend to acknowledge; which is, I have quoted a passage out of the book of Job, and put it at the bottom of my print, namely, "The root of the matter is found in me." My reason for this was, that I once delivered a discourse from that text, and described it from my own experience, and proved it from the word of God; and those that heard it allowed that I understood the subject; there,

fore I put it at the bottom of my print, not thinking it would offend so many professors, who have not that root in them. However, I found our old Kentish proverb true, that one man may steal a horse sooner than another look over a hedge. And so I have seen it; for I can find authors who have stolen scores of pages, and published them as their own, and that without blame; but I only applied that to myself which God had freely given me; and that is a crime before men, though it is none before God. No body condemns Job for saying this root was found in him, though, at the same time, he was righteous in his own eyes, and had only heard of God by the hearing of the ear; but they will not allow me to say so, though my eyes have seen the Lord as plain as ever he did at his deliverance.

I am now going to give my reader an honest account of the dealings of God with me; and, when I have thus done, I can appeal to him and to scripture, for a confirmation of every particular; and will appeal also to the consciences of all the real divines in the world for a confirmation: nay, more, I defy them all to overthrow it while I have got a Bible in my hand. No man can overthrow the living testimony of God's Spirit; as it is written, "Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever, nothing can be put to it,

nor any thing taken from it; and God doeth it that men should fear before him," Eccl. iii. 14.

Some have been inquiring what I mean by S. S. at the end of my name; and various constructions have been put upon it. I now choose to inform my reader of my meaning. You know we clergy are very fond of titles of honour; some are called Lords Spiritual, though we have no such lords but in the persons of the everblessed Trinity; others are named Doctors of Divinity, and Prebends, though God gives no such titles; therefore I cannot conscientiously add D.D. to my function, though some hundreds have been spiritually healed under my ministry; nor have I fourteen pounds to spare to buy the dissenting title of D.D. Being thus circumstanced, I cannot call myself a Lord Spiritual, because Peter, the pope's enemy, condemns it: nor can I call myself Lord High Primate, because supremacy, in the scriptures, is applied only to kings, and never to ministers of the gospel. As I cannot get at D.D. for the want of cash, neither can I get at M.A. for the want of learning; therefore I am compelled to fly for refuge to S.S. by which I mean Sinner Saved; or, that I am made wise to salvation; or, as Luke expresses it, I have had the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of my sins.-This is true wisdom; all wisdom short of this is of no use to

the soul: and to walk in the happy enjoyment of pardon and peace is to walk in wisdom's plea

sant way.

I think no body will be offended at my styling myself a sinner saved; nay, I have the testimony of some divines that hear me incog. for this truth; for not long ago there came one who owned he could not contradict what I said; but added, that I was an illiterate or unlearned man. Give me leave to try his confession by the touchstone of truth, and see if it be not a contradiction in terms. "Even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given, unto him, hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction," 2 Pet. iii. 15, 16. Now this divine owned that I did not wrest the scriptures, for he could not contradict what I said; and the text says that he is unlearned who does wrest the scriptures----Weigh me in that balance, and I am a scholar by his own confession. However, the Holy Ghost has put a question to every letter-learned man in the world, who is ignorant of the power of God's word; nor has it ever been answered; as you will find in Jer. viii. 8, 9.

"How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain

made he it, the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?"-At the most, their wisdom is but a snare to their souls; for God "taketh the wise in their own craftiness."

I do not blame any man that fears God for quoting any sound author: but I blame some for condemning what they cannot overthrow; and yet, at the same time, both write and preach from it, as if it was their own.-This is building again what they have by words laboured to pull down; and such thereby make themselves transgressors.

Reader, fare thee well; everlasting love be with thee, while I subscribe myself, in the face of every adversary, the honest coal-heaver, and thy willing servant at command in all godli

ness,

W. HUNTINGTON.