Front matter
AN
ORATION ON DEATH,
AND THE
Preface To The Reader
AS the Author has a very long introduction to his work, so any further remarks might seem to be unnecessary ; but still he would say, that when he first wrote his work, lie had a mind to have thrown the scriptures, with which it is in part composed, into the bottom of the page ; — but as this method did not seem so correspondent to his subject, and the method of his writing — that is to say, somewhat in an oratorical style — that he con* eluded to designate the holy scriptures in some different way, especially as that part of his book which is much quoted from the late Dr. Watts a he has ventured to turn into somewhat of a different form, not only by interspersing it with his own particular poetical remarks, but by breaking the chapters and sections of the same, and changing its position somewhat more agreeable to his own particular method of oratory ; but he has in all cases endeavoured to retain the sense of the Doctor, and to resume his own words as quick as possible — meaning in the first oration. It was his intention, in the next place, to have thrown the holy scriptures into itaU kk^ and no other part of the work j but as he iv.
employed a clerk to take down his minutes as he dictated them, so he finds that some little inaccuracies have crept into the manuscript, and consequently have slipt through the press in this way. And it may be proper here to observe, that where the sense was scriptural, but not strictly literal, it was not designed to be in italick. Bat without any further apology, we, who live in a gospel land, ought to be so perfectly acquainted with the holy word, that we shall know a scrip, ture expression in a moment, wherever we may find it, in any book whatever : And learn to tremble before it, inasmuch as God has said, To this man will I look. And whenever we see a word from the holy bible, let us consider it as the immediate voice of Jehovah to our guilty race ; and as loud as though spoken in accents of thunder. Any little inaccuracies in the work, the reader with his own mind will amend j and supply small defects in grammar or docution. He thus sends, in number the first volume of orations abroad, ever yet published in America, by any American author, merely as such* He asks the candour and charity of alL
WlLLIAMSBURGH, w
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The end
You’ve reached the end of An oration on death, and the happiness of the separate state, or The pleasures of paradise, with their probable changes and improvements. The last of which is much quoted from the late Dr. Watts, interspersed, however, with divers poetical sketches of the author's of various measures and metres. Also, an oration of the author's; also, four hymns or poems of the author's, on solemn and divine subjects.