wrong ground, conducting my paffions, imaginations, and endeavours: If this be my error, return, my foul, to the contrary difpofition and practice from all thy projects and counfels, and conduct all "thy affairs by this one principle, that religious virtue is the true end, and the highest enjoyment of life; fo fhalt thou poffefs equanimity in all events; fo fhalt "thou enjoy thy own existence with com fort; fo fhalt thou be able to fupprefs "tumultuous defires, perplexing fears, and difcouraging griefs, the scandals, weak"neffes, vices, and torments of nature. IN another place, with respect to the christian religion, he writes thus; "Many are the objections that are raised against "chriftianity. Sometimes they are started in my mind very unfeasonably, and tend "to beget an indifference to, and a difrelish "of the gospel scheme: This certainly "must be got over, otherwife I can never "enter into chriftian exercifes with that "fpirit, and thofe affections, that become ર me. Still, it must be acknowledged that "fince it pleased God to reveal his will to men, he treats them as men; and allows "them "them the free use of their understanding "in examining it, to distinguish between true and falfe, and to form a right judg "ment of what is contained in his word. "But the foundations upon which I have "received chriftianity always appear to my moft deliberate thoughts concerning them, "firm and unfhaken. I am perfectly fen"fible they have often appeared fo in the "freeft exercife of all my rational powers, "and in the greatest, most dispassionate ferenity of mind. "of, that my most This farther I am fure exalted fentiments of "virtue and moral perfection, I have been "led into from a contemplation of the "rules, views, and motives of the gofpel, "And tho' there be fome reprefentations "and forms of fpeaking hard to be ac"counted for, yet the most important points, particularly the nature of future "rewards, as confifting in the perfection of virtue, are declared according to truth, and "the nature of things. The defign of "Chrift's coming into the world, his dying, rifing, afcending into heaven, (not as "darkened by mens explanations and hy" potheses, but in the fimplicity in which "thefe points are declared in the New "Teftament) "Teftament) are amazing effects of Philanthropy. And the gift of the holy fpirit, as reprefented in the fcripture, fo "far from being any way fhocking and abfurd, I own, it appears to me most worthy of God, and a moft beautiful part of the scheme. When all these things are confidered, I am perfectly fa"tisfied. I confent to the gofpel covenant. "I find the greatest prejudices against it at "bottom, arife from the vanity of my own "heart, and the depravity of my affections. "I therefore willingly go again to the "knowledge of Chrift, that I may learn "virtue, and upon the fame foundation on "which I have begun, and by the fame ec means, to carry on a war againft fin. My irregular appetites, my felfifh paffions, "have even of late been very vexatious, «and providence has interpofed very re"markably to controul them. Let dif" content, anger, the love of the things of "this world, pride, with all fantastic and "unnatural affections, be hated and " oppofed. And as I am weak, Lord, ftrengthen me by thy holy fpirit, that fo the vigour of my mind may be preferved, and I may every day, and by the con"tinued "tinued use of prayer, meditation, and every ordinance of God, be afpiring to integrity. If I be thus feeking glory and "immortality, eternal life (for what is eter"nal life, what is heaven, but the integrity " and perfection of nature ?) is mine. And "how little ought this world to feem in my account? How little fhould I regard men and their behaviour towards me ? "that the bleffed Jefus were more in my "efteem, and I endeavouring to walk even <c he walked. I repent of my former "follies, and I turn to the Lord with all " my heart. AGAIN, "God has not framed the "human nature fo as to be neceffarily mife-" "rable. Nay, fuch is our conftitution, that "the greatest comfort, the nobleft enjoy-" ment, arifes from our acting agreeably to "it. That is, from doing conftantly, and "uniformly, what our minds appove. One "would think, now, here is an easy and "ready way to be happy. But indeed the "doing our duty, acting a reasonable part, conforming our practice to the deliberate "fentiments which are the refult of an im"partial inquiry, is rendered difficult by our "our vehement appetites and tumultuous paffions, and of giving life and spirit in "the performance of duty? There is the "promise of pardon to be the foundation "of our dutiful return to God, when we "are confcious of having offended him. "There is a promise that fin fhall not have dominion, The affiftance of the holy "fpirit is offered. Virtue is recommended "by a plain and eafily intelligible law, en"forced by a very powerful fanction. I I do, therefore, betake myself to the re"medy the gofpel has provided for me; lay hold of the great falvation. I have “indeed for many years professed to do so; " " but |