hereby either instigated or encouraged to write upon this subject, (I
mean mainly the last part thereof, touching the use-making of Christ in
sanctification; for blessed be the Lord, many have been employed of the
Lord to speak soundly and edifyingly unto the use-making of Christ as to
righteousness and justification,) a full, plain, edifying and satisfying
discovery of this necessary and important truth, viz. Christ made of God
to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. And withal,
point out plainly and particularly the way how believers in all their
particular and various exigencies may and should so make use of and
apply that all fulness which is treasured up in the Head, for the
benefit and advantage of the members of the mystical body, as they may
not only theoretically see, but practically also experience this truth,
that in him they are complete; and so they may be helped to understand
how through the necessary and constant use-making of him, as all in
all, they may grow up in him in all things. If this be, I say, done by
any to better purpose, I shall think this my adventure not altogether
fruitless, and in part at least excusable.

As for thee, O Christian, whose instruction, edification, and
confirmation in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the faith which was
once delivered unto the saints, I mainly intended in this undertaking, I
have a few things to add:

Know then, that there are certain men (as the Apostle Jude speaketh)
crept in unawares, who were of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and
denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ; for in these last
days we see that these perilous times are come, (of which Paul
advertised Timothy, 2 Tim. iii. 1, &c.) wherein men shall be lovers of
their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers,
false accusers, (or make bates) incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more
than lovers of God, having the form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof--for of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead
captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever
learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And
because it is so, he exhorteth to give diligence to make your calling
and ele