1731 ISAAC WATTS. A Plea for a Revival of Religion. Rare First Edition

Watts, Isaac. An Humble Attempt toward the Revival of Practical Religion among Christians, And particularly the Protestant Dissenters, by a Serious Address to Ministers and People, In some Occasional Discourses. London: E. Matthews, 1731. First Edition. 360pp.

A very scarce work predating the Great Awakening in which Watts pleads for revival, "Oh let us stir up our hearts, and all that is within us, and strive mightily in prayer and in preaching to revive the work of God, and beg earnestly that God, by a fresh and abundant effusion of his own Spirit would revive his own work among us. . . O let us rouse our souls with all holy fervour to fulfil our ministry, for 'twill be a dreadful reproach upon us, and a burden too heavy for us to bear, if we let the cause of Christ and godliness die under our hands for want of lively zeal and pious ferour and faithfulness in our ministrations."

Binding sympathetically [expertly; nearly perfect] repaired with a new front board, end papers, and the original backstrip relaid over spine. Generally clean with old faint stain in bottom margins. Tight. Good + and very scarce. 

No. 5621 in Roberts, Revival Literature: An Annotated Bibliography. 

Watts' focus is to encourage a revival of religion amongst the Dissenters, or Congregationalists of England. The book is in two parts: the first is directed towards ministers and seeks to impress upon them the importance of their personal religion, their private studies, public ministrations, private conversations, the whole being pressed upon their conscience; the second is directed towards the people, being an exhortation from Matt. 4:47, "What do you do more than others?" It is directed specifically towards Dissenters, and speaks of the advantages Dissenters have in matters of religion; the obligation of them to greater degrees of holiness; reminds them of the peculiar practices of piety and virtue among ancient Nonconformists; and directs them in the advantages and obligations they have in obtaining superior piety.