Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…

But it is time to conclude our Preface. If there should be any thing found in this Narrative of the surprising Conversion of such Numbers of Souls, where the Sentiments or the Style of the Relater, or his Inferences from Matters of Fact, do not appear so agreeable to every Reader, we hope it will have no unhappy influence to discourage the Belief of this glorious Event. We must allow every Writer his own Way; and must allow him to choose what particular Instances he would select, from the numerous Cases which came before him. And tho' he might have chosen others perhaps, of more significancy in the eye of the World, th•n the Woman and the Child, whose Experiences he relates at large; yet 'tis ⟨p. viii⟩evident he chose that of the Woman, because she was dead, and she is thereby uncapable of knowing any Honours or Reproaches on this Account. And as for the Child, those who were present, and saw and heard such a remarkable and lasting Change, on one so every young, must necessarily receive a stronger Impression from it, and a more agreeable Surprise than the mere Narration of it can communicate to others at a distance. Children's Language always loses its striking Beauties at second-hand.

But it is time to conclude our Preface. If there should be any thing found in this Narrative of the surprizing Conversion of such Numbers of Souls, where the Sentiments or the Style of the Relater, or his Inferences from Matters of Fact, do not appear so agreeable to every Reader, we hope it will have no unhappy influence to discourage the Belief of this glorious Event. We must allow every Writer his own Way; and must allow him to chuse what particular Instances he would select, from the numerous Cases which came before him. And tho' he might have chosen others perhaps, of more significancy in the eye of the World, th•n the Woman and the Child, whose Experiences he relates at large; yet 'tis ⟨p. viii⟩evident he chose that of the Woman, because she was dead, and she is thereby uncapable of knowing any Honours or Reproaches on this Account. And as for the Child, those who were present, and saw and heard such a remarkable and lasting Change, on one so every young, must necessarily receive a stronger Impression from it, and a more agreeable Surprize than the meer Narration of it can communicate to others at a distance. Childrens Language always loses its striking Beauties at second-hand.