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veyed through different Instruments to the Knowledge of the World.

Fifthly, IN a persuasive and CONVINCING manner: and that these ways.

1. BRINGING DIVINE TRUTHS " down to our CAPACITY; clothing SPIRITU" AL MATTER in familiar Expressions and "Similitudes; that so they might have the ea"fier Admission into our Minds.

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2. PROPOUNDING things as our INTEREST, which are our Duty: thence "God so frequently in Scripture recommends

our DUTIES to us, under all those Motives " which are wont to have the greatest FORCE on the Minds of Men; and annexeth graciOUS PROMISES to our PERFORMANCE of them, " and those of the most weighty and concerning Things. Of GRACE, FAVOUR, PROTECTION, DELIVERANCE, Audience of PRAYERS, and ETERNAL HAPPINESS: And if "these will not prevail with Men, what Mo"tives will?

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3. COURTING us to Obedience, when " he might not only COMMAND us to obey, " but PUNISH presently for Disobedience. "Hence are all those most pathetical and af"fectionate Strains we read in Scripture. O “ that there were fuch an Heart within them, "that they would fear me, and keep all my

Commandments, always, that it might go well “with them, and with their Children after them!

THE Scriptures may be confidered as a RULE OF LIFE, or as a Law of GOD, which " is given for the Government of the Lives of " Men : and therein, the Excellency of it lies " in the Nature of the Duties, and the Encouragements to the Practice of them.

"

First, IN the NATURE of the DUTIES required, which are most becoming God to REQUIRE; most reasonable for us to PER" FORM.

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1. MOST becoming God to REQUIRE; as they are most suitable and agreeable to "the DIVINE NATURE: the Imitation of " which in our Actions is the Substance of our "Religion. IMITATION of him in his Good

NESS and HOLINESS, by our constant En"deavours of MORTIFYING SIN, and growing " in GRACE and PIETY. In his GRACE and MERCY, by our kindness to all Men; FORGIVING the Injuries Men do unto us; doing GOOD to our greatest Enemies. In his JusTICE and EQUITY; by DOING as we would " be DONE by, and keeping a Confcience void of Offence, towards God and towards Men.

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2. THEY are most reasonable for us to perform, in that God requires nothing " but what is apparently Man's Interest to do: "God prohibits nothing but what will DESTROY him, if he doth it; so that the Com" mands of the SCRIPTURES are very just and " REASONABLE.

Secondly, THE Encouragements are more "than proportionable to the Difficulty of O"bedience. God's Commands are in them" selves easy, and most suitable to our Na

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"tures. What more RATIONAL for a CREATURE, than to OBEY his MAKER? All the " Difficulty of Religion ariseth from the CorRUPTION of Nature. Now God, to encourage Men to CONQUER the DIFFICULTIES arifing thence, hath propounded the strong" est Motives, and most prevailing Arguments "to OBEDIENCE.

"SUCH are the Confiderations of God's "LOVE and GOODNESS MANIFESTED to the " World, by fending his Son into it, to DIE " for SINNERS, and to give them an EXAMPLE, " which they are to follow; and by his Readi" ness through him to PARDON the Sins, and "ACCEPT the Persons of fuch, who so receive " him as to walk in him; and by his PROMI

SES of Grace to ASSIST them in the wrest" ling with the Enemies of their Salvation. "AND to all these, add that GLORIOUS " and UNCONCEIVABLE Reward, which God " hath PROMISED to all those who fincerely

OBEY him: And by these things, we fee how " much the ENCOURAGEMENTS over-weigh "the DIFFICULTIES; and that none can make "the leaft Pretence that there is not Motive " SUFFICIENT to down weigh the TROUBLES "which attend the Exercise of OBEDIENCE to "the Will of God.

" SO that we fee what a peculiar Excellency " there is in the Scriptures, as a RULE OF LIFE, " above all the Precepts of meer MORALISTS; "the Foundation of Obedience being laid deeper in Man's Obligation to serve his MAKER, the practice of Obedience being carried higher in those most HOLY PRE"CEPTS,

CEPTS, which are in Scripture the REWARD

" of OBEDIENCE; being incomparably greater " than what Men are able to CONCEIVE, much "less to PROMISE or BESTOW.

"THE Excellency of the Scriptures appears, as they contain in them a Covenant " of GRACE, or the. Transactions between " God and Man, in order to his ETERNAL "HAPPINESS. The SCRIPTURES Contain in "them the Magna Charta of HEAVEN, an ACT " of PARDON with the ROYAL ASSENT of "Heaven, a PROCLAMATION of GOOD-WILL " from God towards Men.

" AND can we then set too great a Va "lue on that which contains all the remark"able Passages between God and the SOULS of " Men, in order to their FELICITY, from the "BEGINNING of the WORLD? Is God fo

ct

good to Men as to this PRESENT LIFE; and can we think, if Man's Soul be IMMORTAL, as we have proved it is; or is it possible to imagine that Man should be HAPPY in ano"ther World, without God's PROMISING it, " and PRESCRIBING Conditions in order to it?

"WHAT RECORDS are there in the World

" that can in the least vye with the SCRIP

TURES, as to the giving so just an Account " of all the Transactions between God and

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MEN, from the Foundation of the WORLD? " Which gives us all the Steps, Methods, and WAYS, whereby God hath made known his " MIND and WILL to the World, in order to "Man's ETERNAL SALVATION.

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"IT remains only then, that we ADORE "and MAGNIFY the GOODNESS of God, in making known his WILL to us; and that we set a VALUE and ESTEEM on the Scriptures, as on the only AUTHENTICK Instruments of that GRAND CHARTER of Peace "which God hath revealed, in order to Man's ETERNAL HAPPINESS.

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TO this, I think, it may not be improper to add a few Paragraphs contained in the DE•DICATION to the said Book.

"IT may justly seem strange, that the "Christian Religion, which contains nothing " in it but what is truly NOBLE, and most RA"TIONAL and PLEASING to the SPIRITS of all " GOOD MEN, should yet suffer so much in its " Esteem in the World, through those strange " and uncouth Vizards it is represented un"der: Some accounting the LIFE and PRAC"TICE of it, as it speaks of SUBDUING our "Wills to the Will of God (which is the Sub"stance of all RELIGION) a Thing too Low " and MEAN for their RANK and CONDITION " in the World; while others pretend a Quar"rel against the PRINCIPLES of it, as UNSATISFACTORY to human Reafon.

"IT is hard to define which is most INJURIOUS to it, that which questions the PRINCIPLES, or that which despiseth the PRACTICE of it.

" AND