THE LORD's-DAY Evening ENTERTAINMENT, Containing Fifty-two Practical Difcourfes On the most Serious and Important SUBJECTS in DIVINITY, Intended for the USE of FAMILIES. In FOUR VOLUMES. By JOHN MASON, A. M. VOL. I. The SECOND EDITION. LONDON: Printed for J. BUCKLAND, at the Buck in Pater-nofter 14.4.96 THE PREFACE. T HE Reader may poffibly expect, that I should, in the first place, give him my reafons for publishing fo many Difcourfes of this kind, at a time when the World already abounds with fo many better. But as this appears to me a matter of mere Curiofity, I hope for his Indulgence, if I do not gratify it so far as he could wish. They who think there needs no Apology will expect none; and to them who judge that fome is necessary, perhaps, none will appear fufficient. Whilft Providence continues to us Life, Leifure and Capacity, we ought to improve them in that way wherein we have a prospect of being moft afeful. It was this Confideration, concurring with the Defire of feveral of my Friends, that firft turned my Thoughts A 2. Thoughts to this Species of writing; though it is generally esteemed of all others the most unpopular Amidst the great Multiplicity of Sermons, which have been fo plentifully offered to publick View, I have often thought there has been one thing ftill wanting, viz. "A complete Set of practical and devotional Difcourfes, for the ufe of Families, recommending and urging "the great fubftantial Points of Christianity in "a plain and ftriking manner, and free from "all diftinguishing Peculiarities both in Stile "and Sentiment ;" and that if fuch a Defign were well executed, it might be of effential fervice to the cause of real Religion. Some things of this kind, to be fure, we have; but I think not enough, confidering their useful tendency, and how much Variety contributes to the Reader's Advantage as well as Entertainment. This, therefore, is what I have long had in view, and now venture to offer to the Publick. Had I, in confequence of that Indulgence which is fometimes due to common Prejudice, thrown thefe Difcourfes into another form, and called them Effays, Meditations, or Differtations, &c. 1 fhould thereby in fome degree have precluded the Objection that might arise from the Multiplicity of Sermons already publifhed. But this would have required much time, and after all would have anfwered no other end, than making them fomewhat more fuitable to the taste of those who confider not fo much the Entertainment itself, as the manner in which it is ferved up. I thought it beft therefore to let them appear in the form in which they were at first compofed; especially as this would be agreeable enough to many, and is fufficiently adapted to the original Defign of the Lord's-Day Evening Entertainment. I am too fenfible of the various Taftes and Tempers of Mankind, and the different lights in which they view the fame mental Objects, to imagine that any method of writing on religious Subjects, though ever fo plain, ferious, and convictive, will fatisfy all; or be fo happy as to pass uncenfured in an Age wherein a Zeal for effential Religion fo much evaporates into a Party-Spirit; though perhaps not more than it has done in any preceding Period of time for this hath always been the great blemish and weakness of the Chriftian Interest from the very firft ages of the Church, thofe of Perfecution only excepted. There are only two things |