When I consider the Disadvantages, with which the following Trifles come abroad, in an Age, that is not only so Censorious, but so Intelligent, as this of ours; neither the Partiality of my Friends, nor the favourable Reception that the publick has hitherto vouchsafed to what hath been presented it, of mine, is able to give me a Confidence, (though they almost create a Hope) That these Papers will meet with as kind an Entertainment, as those of the samehand that have preceded them. And yet, without being wanting to my self, I canot but ad, that by the help of Their suggestions, who have urg’d the Publication of these Thoughts, I am not unfurnish’d with (at least) Tollerable Excuses for the things that seem likely to stand in need of any.
I shall not much wonder to find it said, That the Book is, in general, far short of being an Exact and Finish’d Piece. For perhaps few Readers will be more of that mind, than the Author is. But by way of Apology, it may be represented, That most of the following Papers, being written for my own private Amusement, a good deal of Negligence in them may appear as pardonable, as a Careless Dress, when a man intends not, nor expects, to go out of his study, or let himself be seen. And that which I now publish being design’d, not to satisfie the Criticks, but to gratifie the Devout, I hope it will be thought a Venial Crime, if in some of these Meditations I have not aim’d to express Eloquence, but only to cherish Piety. I say, in some, because there may be others (where a different style was thought fitter) in whose Favour I would produce such Suffrages, as would not be slighted, if I were concern’d to do any more for those Papers, than Excuse them.
And perhaps they that shall take the pains to try their skill in making Meditations, Indifferently upon the Occurrences that shall happen, and wander no further from the Circumstances of their Themes, nor lard them any more with Sentences & other Passages borrow’d from the Fathers, or the Poets, than in most of the following Papers, I have done: will not find the Task so easie, but that they will think it reasonable to be Mild in their Censures, and will discern, that in such Composures, some Unaccurateness is so hard to be Avoided, that it should not be hard to be Forgiven.
I know the want of Uniformity in the style of the ensuing Reflections, may speciously enough be censured. For, not to mention that some of them are very long, and others very short; it will be said, that some are written in a very Neglected, and others ev’n in a Luxuriant strain; & there may (perchance) appear betwixt some of them, as great an Inequality as can easily be found, betwixt Composures that are none of them Excellent. Besides, that the Incoherence of the Subjects, together with the differing Ways wherein they are handled, may make them look so little of kin to one another, as scarce to appear the Productions of the same Pen. But this Uneven way of writing will possibly be rather pardon’d than wondred at, by those that shall be informed.
That the nature of this kind of Composures requires not any other than a loose and Desultory way of writing.
That these Reflections are very far from coming abroad in the Order of Time wherein they were set down: but in that Casual order, wherein, when I was engag’d to tack them together, I was able to light on them among my loose and forgotten Papers. Many of which being discovered to have been lost when some of the rest were to be at the Press; I was fain, for the compleating of the number, to insert here and there some of a much fresher date, among those that were made (as some know who then read them) sixteen or seventeen years ago; when my Style could hardly be other than differing enough from what it now is.
And lastly, That the differing Natures of several Subjects required, that the Reflections on some of them should be far Longer than on others; and As my want of Leisure, and sometimes of Dispos’dness to write, induc’d me to make some of my Considerations but short: So I thought fit to let them pass for Their sakes, to whom, for want of Time or Skill, the Brevity of those, may make them the fitter, and the more recommend them.
Besides, what has been alledged against the Style’ I know it may be objected, That in some of the Meditations, the Subjects are very Mean, and Trivial, and that such I hemes are not Worthy the being descanted on. And indeed, if I aim’d at the Writer’s advantage, more than the Reader’s, I could easily have left them out, and have substituted in their places some others that lye by me, less liable to Contempt. But I confess, I did not think my self oblig’d, to publish no Meditations, but the least Censurable ones that I had made; and divers of those intimated in the objection, were purposely inserted, when I was prevail’d with to bundle up these loose sticks into Faggots. For Then, designing this Treatise for the Benefit of the Generality of Devout Readers, I thought it not amiss, amongst divers Reflections (such as most of the IId and of the IVth Sections) more suited to those Perusers that are either of the more intelligent sort, or good Proficients already; to insert some few Meditations, of more familiar sort, & easier to be lighted on; to keep those from being discourag’d, from trying to make Occasional Reflections, who may chance to have either Barrenner Fancy’s, or more unpractis’d Pens, than even I had then: And those (perhaps) who, without such easily imitable Examples would not be invited to make Occasional Meditations, may, by the Practice of composing them, grow such Proficients in the Art, as to surpass some that despise such humble Beginnings.