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15. But whereas your knowledge of the means, may in a thousand inftances be defective, let your next with be, that the wife and good providence of God would never leave you to yourself, or others; but would be pleased to fink all your opinions, wifhes and defires, fo far as they are foolish, in his own will.

16. It is an observation, almoft as old as true, that infidelity of all kinds and degrees, is the child of pride alone. As a corollary to this truth, add, that all forts of hereticks, more especially Arians and Socinians, are at fee-faw with Chrift, endeavouring to fink his dignity, in order to raise their own.

17. Some take all their own opinions for infallible truths, while others deny, there is any fuch thing as truth in the world. Thefe latter are the children of the former, for multiplicity of opinions is the chief, if not the fole, caufe of doubts. The opinions of the former are not more contradictory to one another, than that of the latter is to itself.

18. Hope and fear are the natural children of opinion, which scepticism endeavours to poifon, under pretence of nurfing them.

19. There is extreme folly or impiety in every long controverfy about an effential of Chriftianity, because, if a plain text or two do not end the argument, it must be owing to an opinion of one or other of the difputants, perhaps of both, that the author of our religion would not, or could not, make himself intelligible on a principle neceffary to be believed by all mankind.

20. If the circle of fcience is not to be fquared by human understanding, the nearest approxi mation that can be made to it, must result from a thorough acquaintance with the extent of that understanding, that is, with a thorough knowledge, how far that understanding can go, and where it must ftop. None but a fool will attempt to lift mountains, or to wade across the

ocean.

21. To know God and religion, even fo far as is neceffary to us, we must be taught of God. To know him perfectly, is impoffible to the highest angel of light.

22. If there is any one fool enough to be inde pendent and felf-fufficient in his own eyes, he will have nothing to do with God, providence, or prayer, nor will God have any thing to do with him, but to let him feel, he is a fool.

23. Enough is better than a feast, both in regard to food and knowledge. More would but overcharge, and burft the gun.

24. The true religion, in proportion to its notoriety, ought to be uniformly embraced by all men, not only because there can be but one fuch, but because religion is love, and therefore of a focial nature; and the rather, as a religion, whether true or falfe, is always more warmly felt by a number together, than by a fingle perfon apart. He that lives for himself, ought to live by him. felf. He will not give. He cannot receive. Is of no community, of no fpecies, but a mere individuum vagum. God is not his father, nor man his neighbour. He can know but a very few things of this world, but little of himself, or by

the

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the documents of mankind, and still lefs, of God and a future world, but by revelation, which hath not been given in folitude, but to a fociety, to a great fchool, wherein all men are, or may be fcholars: Here they may learn that

25. To an immortal being every thing is fhort, that hath an end.

26. To a rational being every thing is little or evil, for which a greater or better must be given up.

27. Chrift alone is that agent, who can make leases for ever, and he hath told us in his gofpel, on what terms they are to be obtained.

28. It is the will of God, that every rational being should be happy.

29. That every rational being may be happy for ever, he muft, to the beft of his power, practice virtue; and abstain from vice, left he should be miferable for ever.

30. But in cafe he fhould, through human frailty, fail to do either, and should fincerely repent, the divine agent hath, by his own blood and righteousness, paid the forfeiture of his tenure, and restored him to poffeffion.

31. These great and comfortable truths are not to be found, but in the word of God.

32. Faith therefore in that word, is the fole, fure and certain path to happiness.

33. That the book, which contains this word, is amply proved to be the book of God himself, is made manifeft-firft, by the internal rectitude of its contents-fecondly, by the many prophecies, long fince given of events which none but

God

God could forefee, and have been, and still are accomplished-thirdly, by innumerable miracles, which none but God could work, performed in attestation of these truths-fourthly, by the martyrdom of those who performed thofe miracles, or faw them performed, and laid down their lives to confirm the reports they have given us of them; and not only by their martyrdom, but by the thirty pieces of filver, for which Judas fold his mafter to the Jewish high prieft and council when he might have earned ten times as many by discovering the impofture of that mafter's miracles, had they not been real miracles, whereof he could not have been ignorantfifthly, by the Jews, enemies to Chrift, who vouch the antiquity and purity of the aforefaid prophecies and fixthly by the church of Rome, which vouches the antiquity and purity of this book, wherein are recorded both the prophecies and miracles, together with the truths and doctrines, they fo evidently confirm, altho' fhe obftinately maintains many doctrines, directly contrary to thofe inculcated by this facred book, and enjoins a number of actions, therein condemned, as most impious and flagitious.

34. To this book and to the aids of God's Holy Spirit, recourse must be had for guidance to virtue and eternal happiness; for, if that guidance is not found in thefe, we must atheistically conclude, contrary to common fenfe and reason, either that there is no God, or that he hath unmercifully abandoned the whole human race, in a matter of the greatest neceffity, at beft, to precarious researches, and to late difcoveries,

or

or rather to inextricable error, and inevitable mifery.*

35. He who with his whole understanding and heart, receives this book, and the divine truths it contains, as fet forth in the old Whole Duty of Man, and the excellent fermons I am endeavouring to recommend, becomes himself an apostle of Chrift by exhibiting in his life and converfation.

36. First, the lovely miracle of a new creature, good, holy, and happy, raised out of a degenerate, polluted and abandoned offspring of the duft.

37. Secondly, an experimental preacher of righteousness more convincing and more engaging, even when he is filent, than Walker himself, for in him are, as it were, vifibly digefted and concentred all the evidences of our holy religion, all its principles, truths, and motives, in fo much that by him is exhibited to other men, what the Holy Spirit calls his own demonftration and power. Is any thing like this to be hoped for without religion, or from the principles and motives of any other religion? Or what other religion, for three hundred years, and during ten most barbarous perfecutions, was ever honoured with the voluntary death of so many of its profeffors, on racks, on croffes, and in flames, by thousands

The ingenuous and fenfible doubter, not convinced by the fhort hints, here given him, ought in juftice to himself, to look a little further, and read Leflie's Short Method with the Deifts, feparately re-printed in Dublin under the title of Deifm Refuted, his Short Method with the Jews, the Converfion of St. Paul by Lord Lyttleton, and the admirable Difcourfes of Dean Horne, lately published at Oxford. In this very brief courfe of reading he will find an exquifite fort of entertainment, and ample fatisfaction.

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