An humble attempt to promote explicit agreement and visible union of God's people in…

There is no Wisdom in finding Fault with human Nature, as God has made it. Things that exist now, at this present Time, are in themselves no more weighty or important, than like Things, and of equal Reality, that existed in Time past, or are to exist in Time to come: Yet 'tis evident that the Consideration of Things being present (at least in most Cases) does especially affect human Nature. As for Instance, If a Man could be certainly informed, that his dear Child at a Distance, was now under some extreme Suffering; or that an absent most dear Friend, was at this Time ⟨p. 97⟩thinking of him, and in the Exercise of great Affection towards him, or in the Performance of some great Deed of Friendship; or if a pious Parent should know that now his Child was in the act of some enormous Wickedness; or that, on the contrary, he was now in some eminent Exercise of Grace, and in the Performance of an extraordinary Deed of Virtue and Piety; would not those Things be more affecting to the human Nature, for being considered as Things that are in Existence, at the present Time, than if considered as at some Distance of Time, either past or future? Hundreds of other Instances might […] mentioned wherein it is no less plain, that the Consideration of the present Existence of Things, gives them Advantage to affect the Minds of Men. Yea, 'tis undoubtedly so with Things in general, that take any Hold at all of our Affections, and towards which we are not indifferent. And if the Mind of a particular Child of God is disposed to be affected by the Consideration of the Religion of other Saints, and with their Union and Concurrence with him in any particular Duty or Act of Religion, I can see no Reason why the human Mind should not be more moved by the Object of it's Affection, when considered as present, as well in this Case, as in any other Case: Yea I think we may on good Grounds determine there is none.

There is no Wisdom in finding Fault with human Nature, as God has made it. Things that exist now, at this present Time, are in themselves no more weighty or important, than like Things, and of equal Reality, that existed in Time past, or are to exist in Time to come: Yet 'tis evident that the Consideration of Things being present (at least in most Cases) does especially affect human Nature. As for Instance, If a Man could be certainly informed, that his dear Child at a Distance, was now under some extreme Suffering; or that an absent most dear Friend, was at this Time ⟨p. 97⟩