only can furnish out, exhibit, and prefent the Motives of a morally good, or morally evil Action, Deed or Agency to the Will. It is utterly impoffible to perform an unknown Duty. It is abfolutely impoffible to love an unknown God, the perfect, the abfolute, the eternal, the Divine Infinitude of his Excellency, Goodpefs and Beauty, notwithstanding. Moreover the Law of God, which is an exact, and molt perfect Transcript of the infinite Perfections of the Godhead, and, by jult Inference, neceffarily holy, and Just, and Good, and immutable, Yea, infinitely reasonable, and defirable too, fince it commands us to be fupremely happy, Yea, to be perfect, even as God himself, is perfect; I fay this infinitely excellent, this most divinely holy Law of God, which only enjoins us to be perfectly happy, cannot poffibly be the Rule of our most holy Faith and Practice, before we know the Tenor of the fame.

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But to fhew yet farther, and more particularly, that Theory ought to precede Practice. Surely we must have a proper View of the immenfe Perfection, Beauty and Goodness of God, before we can rationally defire to have a Conformity to, or Communion with him; or before we can be truly defirous of having the Divine Image impreffed upon our Souls by the Supernatural Grace of Regeneration. muft needs have a clear and diftinct Perception of the immaculate Purity, and infinitely glorious Sanctitude of God Jehovah, before we can poffibly have a deep, ftrong, painful, humbling, diftreffing Senfe, and full Conviction of our own Vilenefs, Pollution and Unholiness. We muft discover the Divine Perfection and Beauty, before we can percieve our own utter Imperfection and moft montrous (moral) Defor mity. (Videre rite debemus, Deum effe vel ipfam plane Divinam Omnitudinem omnium compoffibilium Perfectionum infinitarum, quam Maxime, et abfolute realium, antequam recte percipere valeamus, nos pro Nibile effe omnino.) In plain English; We muft needs fee, and know that the Creator is All, before we can poffibly know that the Creature is Nothing, yea, even lefs than Nothing, and altogether Vanity, e mult have a clear, and moft diftinct Perception of the

infinite

infinite Greatnefs, infinite Beauty & infinite Beneficence of the eternal Godhead, before we can discover the infinite Evil, Malignity, and Deformity of Sin; or the infinitely execrable Turpitude and Criminalty of Ingratitude. It behoves us, moreover, to have a due Understanding of the Relation we fland in to God as our most adorable Creator, Preserver, Redeemer and eternal Benefactor; In order to our being properly fenfible how great our Obligations to Love and Gratitude, neceffarily refulting from this everlasting and moft endearing Relation, are: In one Word, we must have a clear and diftinct Knowledge, and perfect Conviction of our indifpenfable Duty towards God, our Neighbours and Ourfelves, and, whence they arife, before we can rightly perform, Yea even before we can even possibly so much as dfire to perform the fame.e

Hence it is plain, that Theoric Divinity must always recede Practic Divinity. And hence Divines do roundly aver, that we must not only know God as a Being of boundless Perfection and Beneficence, in general; but also that we must know him as a Triune God of abfolute Allfufficiency, in particular, before we (who live under the most Divine Light of the Eternal Gofpel of our most bleffed Lord and Saviour, Jefus Chrift, and have arrived at the Age of Difcretion) can poffibly become the Subjects of a most holy, and truly Salutary Faith, or of real Religion. For true it is, that faving Faith presupposes Knowledge of God and Christ, as alfo of the Method, or Way of Salvation, laid down, and exhibited to us in the most glorious plan of the everlasting Golpel. I fay a moft holy, and moft falutary Faith does always neceffarily prefuppofe a due Knowledge of the infinitely Sacred Trinity, and his perfect Allfufficiency; as alío of Man's Extreme Milery. In order to Salvation, then, we must be deeply fenfible of our own infinite Wretchedness, and our utter inability to fave ourselves from it. must have a full Conviction of our Sin and Guilt, and have a deep, lively, and diftreffing Sense of our most extreme Need of the Redemption, which is in Christ Jefus. We must know Immanuel in all his most glorious Characters and

Media

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Mediatorial Offices. We muft know Jefus Chrift as the mont Supremely Wite, or abfolutely all-wife Prophet, to difpell our Intellectual Darkness by illuminating, teaching and guid ing us with his moft holy Word and Spirit as the greateft high Prief, to attone for all our Sins by his moft bloody Paffion, infinitely difmal Agony, and omnipotently violent Death; as a moft glorious, and triumphant King, to protect, defend and keep us by his Almighty Power, before we can fincerely believe, in Him, or, in good earneft, endeavour to glorify God by Him. We muft alfo know the Holy Gho as Sanctifier and Comforter. We must have due Knowledge of the abfolute Allfufficiency of the triune Deity, and of the perfect Salvation, that is in Him. Yea, in one Word, our Eternal Happiness depends on the true Knowledge of the Trinity. (joh. xvii. 3.) How deplorable, then, is the moit exceffive Folly, and monftrous Perversity of those unhappy Mortals, who call Ignorance the Mother, or Source of Devotion and Piety, vainly ftudying to please God by à blind Obedience ? Mistaken Zealots thefe! Who lay a most violent stress upon a Atrict Obfervance of a great Round of bodily Exercises, and external Works (opera operata) even the emty Form of Godliness in which the real Foun dation, true Subftance and very Life of unfeigned Piety, to wit, a clear Knowledge, and moft profound Senfe of the endless Glory, perlefs Majefty, most exuberant Goodness, and infinitely tranfcendent Beauty of the Diety, is wanting!

But tho it is certain that Theory maft always precede Practice; bat being the Bafis, Motive and End of this g yet all that Species of Knowledge (by fome termed Head Knowledge) which does not move the Will, influence the Conduct, and mend the Heart; I fay, this merely specu lative Science of divive Verities, or this faint, imperfect dead Sort of Knowledge, which does not really ferve as a Spring to every virtuous Action, nor effectually meliorate. the whole Life, is fo far from being truely falutary to Menthat it will only aggravate their Guilt and enhance their. Mifery Theology, then, or Religion, before it can poffibly

prove truely falutary to Men, and be in very Deed per® fet, must be both Theorical and Practical.

Defirous of contributing my poor Mite towards the Promotion of speculative and Active Divinity, or real Res ligion, I have ventured to offer the Theological Thefes, and even my Difcourfe, to the Candour of the awful Public.

The Theological Thefes conflitute a very compendious, alegant and moft nervous Syftem of Natural and Supernatural, of Theoric and Practic Theology. I cannot but flatter myfelf, that thefe Theological Pofitions, perufed. with due Attention, examined with ftrict Candour and Impertiality, will fufficiently recommend themselves to all fincere Admirers of the most sacred Science of Divine Truths, (the Imperfection and Inaccuracy of my Tranfiation, notwithstanding.) To all at least, who are not the greatest Adepts in Divinity, I would recommend a molt candid, Attentive and reiterated Perufal of this whole Syftem, which being good and short, cannot, fail, by the Concurrence of, a divine Bleffing, previously implored, to prove Salutary. and delightful.

To thefe Theological Thefes, conprehended in one Huns dred concife Sections, I have annexed, and fubjoined my Difcourfe. That there is no remarkable Incongruity in this Annexion, may appear if we confider that the Subje& of my Difcourfe is a moft compendious, perfect and maft beautiful Synopfis, or Epitome of Speculative, and 4ive Divinity, or Religion.

My Defign in publishing the following Works, was to prefent my Countrymen, who for want of Age, and Op. portunity, have made no great Proficiency in Divinity, and whofe Salvation I (ought) earnedly to with, with s short, plain, and comprehenfive Sketch of the chief Principles of Chriftianity. If fome Unlearned derive any Edification; if fome ftubborn Offenders are effectually convinced, and if fome broken-hearted, very difconfolate and fincerely penitent Sinners derive any Confolation; Yea, if All derive fome real and folid Advantage from the Perufal of my first public Pro duction, I fhall deem myfelf more than abundantly rewarded,, Since the infinitely great, and mod Divine's glorious

Ex

Excellency of all the Phyfical, and Moral Perfections of God. Jehovah, in Conjunction with his illimitable Beneficence, conftitute the only Bafis and Motive of all true Religion, I have in my Discourse defignedly given the best Display of them in my Power, hopeing that, by the Concurrence of Divine Grace, fome might get fuch a Sight, or Knowledge, and be impreffed with fach a profound, ftrong, lively, and permanent Senle of the amiable and tremendous Greatness, Goodnefs and Beauty of the Lord God, as may effectually difpofe, incline and enable them to love him with all their Heart, with all their Soul, with all their Mind, with all their Understanding, and with all their Strength; And their Neighbours as themselves. What excellent, noble, glorious, beautiful, and, tho' not in Degree, Yet in Kind, Perfect Beings would we all be, if we were all to fulfil this infinitely reasonable and moft Divine Law of the Lord our God ♣ (NB. The Law is a Rule of our free Acts, prescribed to us by Him, who has the Right to obligate us, to do and perform eertain Deeds, and to omit others.)

And now I would yet remark, that God is, and only is to be loved, feared, and glorified by all his Creatures for, or upon the Account of his Effential Perfection, and Actual Beneficience; or, in other Words, for all be is, and for all he does. Becauseall be is, is infinitely excellent; and all be does, is infinitely well done, and confequently, perfect Beneficence. This we ought to remember well, in order to have a juft and clear Perception of the only true Foundation of all real Religion; and to prevent Confusion in a Matter of the laft Impotance.

And finceGod is infinitely perfect, infinitely Beneficient, infinitely Beautiful, and, THEREFORE, an infinitely amiable Be ing, let us love Him most supremely, even unto all Eternity! And if our Neighbours are just fo good by Nature as we; juft fo fit and able to promote the Honour and Declarative Glory of the Creator, and the Happiness of the Creatures and by juft and neceffary Confequénce, in the fame Degree and Measure amiable as we are ourselves; then surely we Must love them just so much as we do love, or ought