THE PREFAC E. HE enfuing Treatife is and needs nothing else to make He was pleased by his Laft Will to commit his Papers to my Care; and out of his great Friendship, and undeserved good Opinion of me,to leave it wholly to my DifA 3 pofal, j pofal, whether any, or what part of them, fhould be made publick. This Treatise,Iknew, he always defigned for that purpofe; and if God had been pleased to have granted him but a little longer Life, he would have published it himfelf: And therefore, though a confiderable Part of it wanted his laft Hand, yet neither could I be fo injurious, to deprive the World of it, because it was lefs perfect than he intended it; nor durft I be fo bold, to attempt to finish a Piece defigned and carried on fo far by fo great a Master. The first Twelve Chapters were written out for the Prefs in biş Life-time. The Remainder hath been gather'd and made up out of his Papers, as well as the Materials left for that purpofe, and the Skill of the Compiler would allow: So that it cannot be expected, that the Work fhould be of equal Strength Strength and Beauty in all the Parts of it. However, fuch as it is, I hope it may prove of confiderable use and benefit to the World, and not altogether unworthy of its Author. The Defign of it is Three-fold. First, To eftablish the great Principles of Religion, the Being of God, and a Future State; by fhewing how firm and folid a Foundation they have in the Nature and Reafon of Mankind: A Work/ never more neceffary than in this degenerate Age, which hath been fo miferably over-run with Scep- . ticism and Infidelity. Secondly, To convince Men of the natural and indifpenfable Obligation of Moral Duties; those I mean, which are comprehended by our Saviour under the Two General Heads of the Love of God. and of our Neighbour. For all the great Duties of Piety and Justice are written upon our Hearts, and every Man feels a fecret Obligation to them in his own Confcience, which checks and reftrains him from doing contrary to them, and gives him Peace and Satisfaction in the Discharge of his Duty; or in cafe he offend against it, fills him with Guilt and Terror. And certainly it is a Thing of very confiderable use, rightly to understand the natural Obligation of moral Duties, and how neceffarily they flow from the Confideration of God and of ourselves. For it is a great Miftake, to think that the Obligation of them doth folely depend upon the Revelation of God's Will made to us in the Holy Scriptures. It is plain that Mankind was always under a Law, even before God had made any external |
