THE

SECOND BOOK,

OF THE

Wisdom of practising the Duties of Natural Religion.

CHAP I.

Shewing in general how Religion conduces to our Happiness.

I

Proceed now to the Second 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 so much celebrated in Scripture for his wisdom and knowledge, hath purposely written a Book, the main argument whereof is to enquire, where

in

in the chief happiness of man doth confift: And having in the former part of it fhewed the infufficiency of all other things that pretend to it, he comes in the conclufion to fix it upon its true bafis afferting every man's greatest interest and happiness, to confift in being religious. Eccl. 12. 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 serious 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 deserve his utmost care and diligence.

13.

And because these words of Solomon, do fo fully exprefs that, which is to be the main argument of my following difcourfe, I fhall 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 expreffion, this is the whole of man.

Which words are by the Septuagint and Vulgar thus rendered, 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

to be the way and courfe of all mankind, fo the Targum. This is the course to which every man is defigned, fo the Syriack. This will be most profitable and advantageous to men, fo the Arabick. Hoc eft totum hominis, This is the whole of man; fo fome of our later Interpreters, most properly to the scope of the place, it being an usual Enallage in the Hebrew, totius univerfalis pro toto integrante, All for Whole.

So that according to these various interpretations of the words, they may contain in them a threefold reference. To the Effence, the Happiness, the Business of

man.

According to which the fenfe of them must be, that Religion, or the fearing of God and keeping his commandments, is a matter of fo great confequence to Humane 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.

These particulars I fhall endeavour to make out by fuch clear Principles of Rea

fon,

fon, attested to by several of the wifest Heathen Writers, as may be enough to fatisfie any serious man, who is able to understand the reafon and confequence of things, and will but attend and confider.

First Religion is of fo great importance, that the Effence of man may be faid to confift in it. Man may be confidered under a twofold notion:

1. In his fingle capacity, according to that principle whereby he is constituted in fuch a rank of creatures.

2. In Society, for which man feems to be naturally defigned, and without which he could not well fubfift. Now Religion will appear to be Effential to him, in both thefe refpects.

1. As confidered in his fingle capacity, according to those principles by which he is framed. That which doth constitute any thing in its Being, and diftinguish it from all other things, this is that which we call the Form or Effence of a thing. Now the things which distinguish Humane Nature from all other things, are the chief principles and foundations of Religion, namely, the Apprehenfion of a Deity, and an expectation of a future ftate after this life: Which no other creature,

below

below man, doth partake of; and which are common to all mankind, notwithftanding the utmost endeavours that caff be used for the fuppretting of them.

As for what is commonly alledged in the behalf of Reafon, it may be obferved that in the actions of many brute creatures, there are difcernable fome footsteps, fome imperfect strictures and degrees of Ratiocination; fuch a natural fagacity as at least bears a near refemblance to reafon. From whence it may follow, that it is not Reason in the general, which is the Form of Humane nature; But Reafor as it is determined to actions of Religion, of which we do not find the leaft figns or degrees in Brutes Man being the only creature in this vifible world, that is formed with a capacity of worshipping and enjoying his Maker. Nor is this any new opinion, but what feveral of the antient Writers, Philofophers, Orators, Poets, have attefted to; who make the notion of a Deity, and adoration of him, to be the true difference betwixt Man and

Beaft.

lib. 1.

So Tully: Ex tot generibus nullum est De Legi animal præter hominem, quod habeat notitiam aliquam Dei; ipfifq; in hominibus, nulla gens eft, neq; tam immanfueta, neq;