je 1718. to a Man like himself, and knew not that he was fpeaking to the Good and Gracious Son of the most High God; but if we compare Men with Men, it must be granted that there is, was, and will be some good Men, Women, and Children, in that Sense and Confideration; and our Lord fheweth how we may know thefe good Men, Women, and Children, By their Fruits se hall know them, faith Chrift; Men do not gather Grapes of Thorns, nor Figs of Thiftles. A good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit, neither can an evil Tree bring forth good Fruit; wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them. How plain is the Doctrine of Chrift, if People would but lend an obedient Ear, and give him a faithful and fincere Heart, and ferve him in a pure Mind, without Deceit, or Guile, taking up his holy Cross (to the corrupt Will of Man) in true Self-denial: The Scripture fays, If we confess our 1 John 1] Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanfe us from all Unrighteousness: Where then is the Sin, when God has cleanfed us from all Unrighteoufnefs? Indeed it is very meet, and our Duty, to confefs our Sins; they truly fay, That, 5thly, The Scriptures in fundry Places excite us to confefs our Sins. Anf. For poor Mortals have all finned, and by the r finful Nature, we are all Children of Wrath, and this is a strong and mighty Motive for us in Truth to confefs our Sins, because God is fo juft and merciful to forgive and pafs by our Iniquities; and indeed if the Weight of our Sins were upon us, and the true Sense of the Heinousness of Sin and Evil, it would certainly bow us in deep Reverence and Humility before the Throne of Grace, and melt our Spirits in true Tenderness before the Most High and Immortal JEHOVAH, and then it is that he forgives us, and cleanseth us from all Iniquity, and would (according to the Apoftle's Doctrine) purify us to himself a peculiar People, zealous of (and for) good Works, and against bad Works, Works, and Words, and Thoughts alfo: And when 1718. God hath fo cleanfed the Soul, then of Course thefe common, and often repeated, dry Confeffions, full of Sin and Putrifaction, must fall, and we should fear to offend any more. Let it be tenderly, and in Chriftian Love, afked, How often do our Common Prayer People go into their Closets, or privately retire into fome fecret Place, and their pour out their Cries and Tears to the Almighty, and humbly confefs their Faults to him alone? I afk, would not fuch an Exercise be more acceptable to God, than a popular Repetition daily and formally made? This I leave to the Confideration of all fober Chriftians, and to the Judgment of the truly Pious. And how like Mockery it looks, as foon as they come from their Prayers and Confeffions, they (many of them) will vainly laugh, and be full of idle Words and Difcourfe, and fome of them curfe and fwear, and take the Awful and Sacred Name which they have been addreffing (or pretending to addrefs) in vain, and profane that Holy Name of God and Chrift, which they have been ufing in their Devotion, which I have been an Eye and an Ear Witness of many a Time, to the Sorrow and Grief of my Soul, and which hath, in Part, occafioned thefe Lines; as also hoping it may be a Motive to ftir up fome to more holy Living, and that the Name of God and Chrift might be glorified, and the precious,dear-bought Soul faved. Let us alfo remember, that the Holy Scriptures do abundantly require and command us to forfake our Sins; the Holy Text fays, He that confeffeth and forfaketh his Sins fhall have Mercy. 6thly, And whereas the Apostle John, in his first General Epistle, Chap. i. Verfe 8. writes, If we fay we have no Sin, we deceive ourselves; from whence it is objected, we ought always to confefs our Sins. Anf. Yes we should do fo when ever we commit any, or knowingly do Evil; but when the Almighty hath cleanfed us from all Unrighteoufnefs, then our K 3 Sins 1718. Sins are done away by the Grace of his Son, our Lord Jefus Chrift, and we are washed by Regeneration; then it cannot be true to fay, we are miferable and putrified Sinners, when at the fame Time alfo Christ hath purified and fanctified his Church and People. It is true which St. John faith, Chap. i. Verse 10. (that opening and explaining the 8th Verfe) If we fay we have not finned, we make him (i. e God) a Liar ; for that all have finned; fo that it is plain that he speaks of the State of Man before he comes to the Work of Converfion, or to be renewed by Grace; for when we come truly to know Christ, and to fee and believe in him, then we witnefs a Change from our corrupt and evil Nature, and finful Course of Life, which is as clear as the Shining of the Sun without Clouds at Noonday from the fame Apoftle's Words, which I fhall tranfcribe for Information and Edification of any who may fee this. The first General Epiftle of John (the beloved Di ciple of our Lord Jefus) 3d Chap. 6th Verfe to the 10th. Whosoever abideth in him (i. e. Chrift) finneth not: Whosoever finnetb, bath not feen him, neither known bim. Little Children, let no Man deceive you: He that detb Righteousness, is righteous, even as he is righteous: He that committeth Sin, is of the Devil; for the Devil finneth from the Beginning. For this Purpofe the Son of God was manifefted, that he might destroy the Works of the Devil. Whofoever is born of God, doth not commit Sin; for bis Seed remaineth in him, and be cannot fin, because be is born of God. In this the Children of God are manifeft, and the Children of the Devil; whosoever doth not Righteousness, is not of God (and as above) he that committeth Sin, is ef the Devil. This is naked Truth, without any Covering, and the very Sum and Subftance of true Religion. Oh! that all true Chriftians would lay it to Heart, and ponder it in their Minds, and then refolve whether they will be Sinners to the End of their Days, or whether they they will repent, and turn from the Evil of their 17:3 Ways; the latter of which, that poor Mortals may come to witness for themfelves, is the Defire and Prayer of my Soul. If it be further objected, "That our Saviour taught his Difciples a Form :" He did fo; and a glorious Form it is; and they did as they pray'd, and were taught of Christ, and so they did it truly, and in true Faith, believing they fhould witnefs what they faid and prayed to be fulfilled. Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done in Earth, as it is Heaven. Give us this Day our daily Bread. And forgive us our Trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trefpafs against us. And lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for ever. Amen. Christ faid to fome of old, Ye are of your Father the Devil, because his Works ye do: And all Sin is his Work, and by our Works (as above) we are manifeft, whether we are the Children of God, or of the Devil. 1718. A LETTER ΤΟ Α FRIEND in IRELAND; Containing a RELATION of fome forrowful INSTANCES of the fad Effects of INTEMPERANCE, as a Warning to Young People. PROV. xii. 2. A good Man obtaineth Favour of the Lord: But a Man of wicked Devices will be condemn. Verle 7. The Wicked are overthrown, and are not: But the Houfe of the Righteous shall stand. ISA. v. 22. Woe to them who are mighty to drink Wine, and Men of Strength to mingle strong Drink. The PREFACE to the Tenth Edition of this Temperate READER, T HE longer we live in the World, the more we fee the Danger and many Mifchiefs, Miferies and Inconveniences, Intemperance occafions to Mankind, not only in Eating, Cloathing, Buying and Selling, &c. but particularly in that great Sin of Drinking to Excess. And though a Rifque is run of incurring the Difpleafure of |