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These are considerable as Christians simply, with respect to God, or in their relations to others: these relations are either ecclesiastical, civil, or domestical.

Accordingly, my intended method is, 1. To direct ungod→ ly, carnal minds, how to attain to a state of grace. 2. To direct those that have saving grace, how to use it; both in the contemplative and active parts of their lives; in their duties of religion, both private and public; in their duties to men, both in their ecclesiastical, civil, and family relations. And, by the way, to direct those that have grace, how to nibus dedidissent,....iis devium quoddam iter esse, seclusum a concilio deorum. Qui autem se integros, castosque servavissent, quibusque fuisset minima cum corporibus contagio, seseque ab his semper sevocâssent, essentque in corporibus humanis vitam imitati deorum: his ad illos, a quibus essent profecti, reditum facilem patere. Soc. in Cic. Tusc. L. 72*. Improbo nemini bene esse potest. Cic. Parad. 1. vol. 7. p. 849. Quod si inest in hominum genere mens, fides, virtus, concordia: unde hæc in terras, nisi a superis, defluere potuerunt? cumque sint in nobis consilium, ratio, prudentia, necesse est, deos hæc ipsa habere majora, nec habere solum, sed etiam his uti in maximis, et optimis rebus. Cic. Nat. D. ii. 79. Quod si pœna, si metus supplicii, non ipsa turpitudo, deterret ab injuriosa facinorosaque vita: nemo est injustus; aut incauti potius habendi sunt improbi. Tum autem qui non ipso honesto movemur; ut boni viri simus, sed utilitate aliqua atque fructu, calidi sumus, non boni. Nam quid faciet is homo in tenebris, qui nihil timet nisi testem, et judicem ? Cic. Leg. i. 40, 41. Nam ut nihil interest, utrum nemo valeat, an nemo possit valere: sic non intelligo, quid intersit, utrum nemo sit sapiens, an nemo esse possit, Cic. Leg. iii. 79. Cicero was afraid to speak what he knew of the Unity of the Eternal God the Maker of all t: Illum quidem quasi parentem hujus universitatis invenire, difficile: et cum jam inveniris indicare in vulgus, nefas. Cic. Univ. Op. vol. vii. p. 923.

•The edition of Cicero's Works, by which the quotations are verified and corrected, is Collingwood's, Oxford, 1810, in eight volumes 8vo. (T. C.)

Very different estimates have been formed of the nature and extent of Cicero's knowledge of God and the truths of natural religion. See Leland's Christian Revelation, vol. i. pp. 274, 297, 298, 330, et seq. 4to. Ed. 1764. Middleton's Life of Cicero, vol. iii. pp. 340, 341, 5th Edit. 1755. Enfield's Hist. Philosophy, vol ii. p,, 20, 4to. Edit. Campbell on the Necessity of Divine Revelation ; with remarks on that work by Dr. Erskine, in his fourth dissertation, entitled "The Law of Nature sufficiently propagated to Heathens." I beg the reader's attention to the matured sentiments of this learned and excellent man, whom Bp. Warburton, in his correspondence with Bp. Hurd, calls a deep divine. "The concluding paragraph of the preface to this volume," observes Sir H. Moncreiff Wellwood, in his life of Dr. Erskine, “in answer to Dr. Campbell, deserves to be inserted here, as it contains Dr. Erskine's later thoughts of the subject of that dissertation." "The general argument," he says, " of the fourth dissertation, appears to me in the same light as it did three and twenty years ago, when I first published it. But since that time I have been fully convinced that many of the most celebrated philosophers entertained sentiments absolutely inconsistent with the belief of the soul's immortality, and of future rewards and punishments; and have seen considerable cause to suspect, that, under the devout expressions of the Stoic philosophers, a system was disguised, nearly allied to that of Spinosa." Ersk. Diss. preface, p. 10.-Life of Dr. Erskine, p. 242. (T. C.)

discern it, and take the comfort of it; and to direct them how to grow in grace, and persevere unto the end.

And if any reader should be discouraged at the number of duties and directions set before him, I entreat him to consider, 1. That it is God, and not I, that imposeth all these duties on you: and who will question his wisdom, goodness, or power to make laws for us and all the world? 2. That every duty and direction is a mercy to you; and therefore should not be matter of grief, but of thanks. They are but like the commands of parents to their children, when they bid them ' eat their meat, and wear their clothes, and go to bed, and eat not poison, and tumble not in the dirt; and cut not your fingers, and take heed of fire and water, &c.' To leave out any such law or duty, were but to deprive you of an excellent mercy; you will not cut off or cast away any member of your body; any vein, or sinew, or artery, upon pretence that the number maketh them troublesome, when the diminishing of that number would kill or maim you. A student is not offended that he hath many books in his library; nor a tradesman that he hath store of tools; nor the rich at the number of his farms or flocks. Believe it, reader, if thou bring not a malignant quarrelsome mind, thou wilt find that God hath not burdened, but blessed thee with his holy precepts, and that he hath not appointed thee one unnecessary or unprofitable duty; but only such as tend to thy content, and joy, and happiness.

O let it be the daily, earnest prayer of me and thee, that our hearts prove not false and unwilling to follow the Directions which are given us, lest we condemn ourselves in the things which we allow. Your practice now will shew, whether it be through want of will or skill, if henceforth you unfaithfully neglect your duty. If you are willing, obey now what is plainly taught you, and shew by your diligence that you are willing.

• Vult Deus quodammodo pati vim; et hoc summæ est beneficentiæ, ut ad benefaciendum se pulsari sollicitarique velit. Jos. Acosta, l. 4. c. 12. p. 396.

CHAPTER I. ·

PART I.

Directions to unconverted, graceless Sinners, for the attaining of true saving Grace.

If ungodly, miserable sinners were as few, as the devil and their self-love would make themselves believe, I might forbear this part of my work as needless. For the whole need not the physician, but the sick. If you go into twenty families, and ask them all, Whether any of them are in an ansanctified state, unrenewed and unpardoned, and under the wrath and curse of God? you will meet with few that will not tell you, they hope it is better with them than so; and though they are sinners, as all are, yet that they are repenting, pardoned sinners. Nay, there is scarce one of many of the most wicked and notoriously ungodly, but hope they are in a penitent, pardoned state. Even the haters of God will say they love him; and the scorners at godliness will say that they are not ungodly; and that it is but hypocrisy and singularity that they deride: and it were well for them, if saying so would go for proof, and he that will be their judge would take their words. But God will not be deceived, though foolish men are wise enough to deceive themselves. Wickedness will be wickedness when it hath clothed itself with the fairest names: God will condemn it when it hath found out the most plausible pretences and excuses. Though the ungodly think to bear it out in pride and scorn, and think to be saved by their hypocritical lip-service, as soon as the most holy worshippers of the Lord, yet "shall they be like chaff which the wind driveth away: they shall not be able to stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." And if God know better than foolish men, then certainly the flock is little to whom the "Father will give the kingdom"." And "wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there

a Psal. i. 4, 5, 6.

b Luke xii. 32.

c Matt. vii. 13, 14.

be that find it.” When Christ was asked, "Lord, are there few that be saved?" he answered, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." But, alas! we need no other information than common experience, to tell us whether thegreatest part of men be holy and heavenly, and self-denying; that seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and love God above all, and will forsake all they have for the sake of Christ and undoubtedly none but such are saved; as you may see Heb. xii. 14. Matt. vi. 20, 21. 33.

Seeing then the godly are so few, and the ungodly so many; and that God will take nothing for holiness that is not such indeed; and seeing it is so terrible a thing to any man that hath his wits about him, to live one day in an unconverted state, because he that dieth so, is lost for ever; methinks it should be our wisdom to be suspicious of ourselves, and careful lest we be deceived in so great a business, and diligent in searching and examining our hearts, whether they are truly sanctified or not; because it can be no harm to make sure work for our salvation; whereas presumption, carelessness, and negligence, may betray us to remediless misery and despair.

I do not here suppose the reader to have any such acquaintance with his heart, or care of his salvation, or obedient willingness to be taught and ruled by Jesus Christ, as is proper to those that are truly sanctified; for it is ungodly persons to whom I am now speaking. And, yet, if I should not suppose them to have some capacity and disposition to make use of the Directions which I give them, I might as well pass them by, and spare my labour. I tell thee therefore, reader, what it is that I presuppose in thee, and expect from thee, and I think thou wilt not judge me unreasonable in my suppositions and expectations.

1. I suppose thee to be a man, and therefore that thou hast reason and natural free-will (that is, the natural faculty of choosing and refusing), which should keep thy sensitive appetite in obedience; and that thou art capable of loving and serving thy Creator, and enjoying him in everlasting life.

2. I suppose that thou knowest thyself to be a man; and therefore that thy sensitive part, or flesh, should no more rule thee, or be ungoverned by thee, than the horse should

rule the rider, or be unruled by him: and that thou understandest that thou art made on purpose to love and serve thy Maker, and to be happy in his love and glory for ever. If thou know not this much, thou knowest not that thou art a man, or else knowest not what a man is.

3. I suppose thee to have a natural self-love, and a desire of thy own preservation and happiness; and that thou hast no desire to be miserable, or to be hated of God, or to be cast out of his favour and presence into hell, and there to be tormented with devils everlastingly: yea, I will suppose that thou art not indifferent whether thou dwell in heaven or hell, in joy or torment; but would fain be saved and be happy; whether thou be godly or ungodly, wise or foolish, I will be bold to take all this for granted: and I hope in all this I do not wrong thee.

4. I suppose thee to be one that knowest that thou didst not make thyself; nor give thyself that power or wise dom which thou hast; and that he that made thee and all the world, must needs be before all the world; and that he is eternal, having no beginning (for if ever there had been a time when there was nothing, there never would have been any thing; because nothing can make nothing); and I suppose thou dost confess that all the power, and wisdom, and goodness of the whole creation set together, is less than the power, and wisdom, and goodness of the Creator; because nothing can give more than it hath to give. I suppose, therefore, that thou dost confess that there is a God; for to be the eternal, infinite Being, and the most powerful, wise, and good, and the first cause of all created being, and power, and wisdom, and goodness, this (with the subsequent relations to the creature) is to be GOD. If thou wilt deny that there is a God, thou must deny that thou art a man, and that there is any man, or any being.

• See the proof of the Godhead, and that God is the Governor of the world, and that there is another life for man, in the beginning of my 'Holy Commonwealth,' chap. 1, 2, 3. Commoda quibus utimur, lucemque qua fruimur, spiritumque quem ducimus, ab eo nobis dari atque impertiri videmus. Cic. Pro, S. Ros. 131. vol. ii. p. 65. Read Galen's Hymns to the Creator, 1. i. de usu partium, præcipuè, l. iii. cap. 10. Nulla gens est tam immansueta, neque tam fera, quæ non, etiamsi ignoret, qualem habere Deum deceat, tamen habendum sciat. Cic. Leg. i. 24. Omnibus enim inna tum est, et in animo quasi insculptum, esse deos. Cic. Nat. D. i 12. Deum agnoscis ex operibus ejus. Cic. Tusc. i. 70. Nullum est animal præter hominem, quod ha÷

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