Continence, whereby we contain all our Paffions within their juft Bounds, either of Joy in the Affluence of Things, or of Grief in the Lofs, or of Defire in the Want

of them.

A Mind that is modelled and prepared with thefe kind of Virtues, will thereby be render'd generous and couragious, fit for the undergoing of any kind of Trouble or Suffering, which the Providence of God fhall think fit to call a Man unto.

I have now done with the First thing I propofed to treat of, namely, The Reafonableness and Credibility of the Principles of Natural Religion; in which I have endeavoured to establish the belief of God's Being, to clear the natural Notions of his Excellencies and Perfections, and to deduce the Obligation of Moral Duties, from the Belief and Acknowledgement of the divine Nature and Perfections.

THE

THE

SECOND BOOK.

OF THE

Wisdom of practising the Duties of NATURAL RELIGION.

CHA P. I.

·Shewing in general bow Religion conduces to our Happiness.

I

Proceed now to the fecond Part of my Defign, which was to fhew The Wisdom of practising the Duties of Natural Religion. In which I fhall endeavour to convince Men, how much it is, upon all Accounts, their chief Happiness and Interest to lead a Religious and Virtuous Courfe of Life.

Solomon, who is fo much celebrated in Scripture for his Wisdom and Knowledge, hath purposely written a Book, the main Argument whereof is to enquire, wherein the chief Happiness of Man doth confift: And having in the former Part of it shewed the Infufficiency of all other Things that pretend

13.

pretend to it, he comes in the Conclufion to fix it upon its true Bafis, affetting every Man's greatest Intereft and Happiness, to Eccl. 12. confist in being Religious. Let us hear the conclufion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man. That is, the ferious Practice of Religion is that which every confiderate Man after all his other Difquifitions, will find to be his chief Intereft, and that which doth deferve his utmost Care and Diligence.

And because thefe Words of Solomon, do fo fully express that, which is to be the main Argument of my following Difcourfe, I shall by way of Preface or Introduction to it, more particularly confider the Commendation which he here gives to the Practice of Religion, in that full and fignificant Expression, this is the whole of man.

Which Words are by the Septuagint and Vulgar thus render'd, this is All, or Every man. The Word, Duty which is fupplied by our English, being not in the Original, or in other Tranflations. This ought to be the way and courfe of all mankind; fo the Targum. This is the course to which every man is defign'd; fo the Syriack. This will be moft profitable and advantageous to men; fo the Arabick. Hoc eft totum hominis, this is the whole of man; fo fome of our later Interpreters, moft properly to the Scope of the Place, it being an ufual Enallage in the

Hebrew,

Hebrew, totius univerfalis pro toto integrante, All for Whole.

So that according to the various Interpretations of the Words, they may contain in them a threefold Reference. To the Ef fence, the Happiness, the Business of Man. According to which the Senfe of them must be, that Religion, or the fearing of God and keeping his Commandments, is a Matter of fo great Confequence to Human Nature, that,

1. The Effence or Being of Man may be faid to confift in it.

2. The great Business or Duty of Man, is to be converfant about it, and to labour after it.

3. The Happiness or Well-being of Man, doth depend upon it.

Thefe Particulars I fhall endeavour to make out by fuch clear Principles of Reason, attested to by several of the wisest Heathen Writers, as may be enough to fatisfy any ferious Man, who is able to understand the Reafon and Confequence of Things, and will but attend and confider.

Firft, Religion is of fo great Importance, that the Effence of Man may be faid to confift in it. Man may be confider'd under a two-fold Notion :

1. In his fingle capacity, according to that Principle where by he is conftituted in fuch a Rank of Creatures.

2. In Society, for which Man feemst o be naturally defign'd, and without which he could not well fubfift. Now Religion will appear to be effential to him, in both thefe Refpects.

1. As confider'd in his fingle Capacity, according to thofe Principles by which he is framed. That which doth conftitute any thing in its Being, and distinguish it from all other things, this is that which we call the Form or Effence of a Thing. Now the things which diftinguish Humane Nature from all other things, are the chief Princi ples and Foundations of Religion, namely, the Apprehenfion of a Deity, and an Expectation of a future State after this Life: Which no other Creature, below Man, doth partake of; and which are common to all Mankind; notwithstanding the utmost Endeavours that can be used for the fuppreffing

of them.

As for what is commonly alledged in the behalf of Reason, it may be obferv'd, that in the Actions of many brute Creatures, there are difcernible fome Footsteps, fome imperfect Strictures and Degrees of Ratiocination; fuch a natural Sagacity as at least bears a near Refemblance to Reason. From whence it may follow, that it is not Reafon in the general, which is the Form of Human Nature; but Reason, as it is determined to Actions of Religion, of which we do not find

the