Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings [Table of Contents]  [Fast Index]  [Site Map]

by Anonymous

God being the Immortal Souls Chief Good, it must needs follow, that what unites the Soul unto God, must be the Souls Chief Ornament and Grace: And such us Love, that Principium Uniens, or principle uniting the Soul unto God: Whence is it, that in Good, Spiritual and Elevated Reason, the Apostle prefers Love among the Souls three cardinal virtues, I Corinthians 13.13. And now abideth Faith, Hope, and Love, and the greatest of these is Love. Indeed Faith, goes out from the Sinner to rest upon Jesus Christ the Justifier of the Ungodly, (And there is no Sinner, nor unclean thing in Heaven) and Hope, looking unto, after, a Country that we are not yet possessor of; and Love, yea, love alone fills Heaven unto all Eternity, so that it is certain that Love is the Souls most Adorning Ornament, its most Heavenly Frame.

Now of all Books in Holy Scripture, it hath pleas'd the Holy Ghost to entitle to Song of Solomon, or his Book of Loves, thus, the Song of Songs: All Songs, all Loves, all out goings of the Soul being invaluable to this Souls song, and Love, uniting Christ and the Soul.

This Posthume work then, of the precious Author Mr. Durham, is commendable to the Churches (if there be any need of any additional Commendation beyond the naming of his Name to it) upon more accounts than one: First, It's done upon the highest, sweetest, deepest object, Love, between the Soul and its Chiefest Good, even God in Christ. Secondly, It's done Spiritually, yet plainly upon a most Spiritual, yet Mysterious portion of Holy Scripture. And, Thirdly, The Churches of Christ are obliged to God in this. That they have had from this bright Candle amongst the Lord's Candlesticks, a light shining upon, and discovering those two Mysterious Books of Scripture, Canticles and Revelation. Fourthly, If a word fitly spoken is as Apples of God in Pictures of Silver, Proverbs 25.11, So then, it was highly commending of God's Goodness to the Author That he was led on this work of Preaching, Lecturing, and Writing on this Song of Loves, Those sweet concords and begun Music of Heaven between Christ and Souls, and that in time of sad discords and very Immusical Jarrings in the Church; An Argument of an excellent Soul-frame in a very evil time: A demonstration whereof, and of his healing disposition, O, how apparent is it that rare piece of his upon Scandal!

I shall not trouble thee any further, save that I cordially wish that the Lord may be pleased to Bless thy Perusal of this present Treatise, as it may tend not only to the present, but also the everlasting Well-being of thy Soul. And so I bid thee Farewell.

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