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neceffarily prompt us to with refpect to one another. We may affure ourselves, therefore, that the divine being will realize our natural conceptions of him, and reward his humble worshippers.

Since we

cannot rise to him, and conceive of him in a manner that is ftrictly agreeable to his nature, and fince our intercourse with him is neceffary to our virtue and happiness, he will certainly condefcend to us; fo that we may depend upon finding him to be what the beft of his creatures hope, and expect concerning him.

Do

It will not therefore be the fame thing, whether we apply to him for the good things we stand in need of, or not. not the wifeft and beft of parents act in the fame manner towards their children? It has been the fource of great error, and rafh judgment concerning the ways of God, to confine ourselves to the confideration of what God is in himself, and not to confider what it even becomes his wif dom and goodness, both to reprefent him

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felf,

felf, and actually to be, with respect to his imperfect creatures.

Befides, if good difpofitions be regarded as the only object and end of prayer, it fhould be confidered, that an address to God for what we want is a test of good difpofitions, as well as a means of improving them, fuppofing it be known to be the will of God, that we fhould pray to him. But it must be acknowledged that, without revelation, or fome exprefs intination of the will of God, in this respect, the reasonablenefs and obligation of prayer is not fo clearly, though fufficiently evident.

In fact, there are fimilar reafons for afking favours of God, as for thanking him for the favours we have received; fince it may be faid, that if we be truly grateful, it is quite unneceffary to tell the divine being that we are fo; and thus all intercourfe with God by words must be cut off. But certainly there can be no real impropriety in expreffing by words what

ever is the language of the heart; and it can only be an unreasonable and dangerous refinement to distinguish, in this cafe, between love, gratitude, defire, or any other difpofition of mind.

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PART

PART III.

Of the future expectations of mankind.

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AVING endeavoured to investigate the rules of human duty, from the principles of natural reason, I shall proceed to ascertain, from the fame principles, what we have to expect in confequence of our obfervance, or neglect of them.

The natural rewards of virtue, and the punishments of vice, in this life, have been already mentioned occafionally. I, therefore, propofe, in this fection, to confider the evidence with which nature fur-' nishes us concerning a future life, impartially stating both its ftrength and its weakness.

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1. The argument that, in general, has the most weight with the wife and good, in favour of a future life, is the promifcuous and unequal diftribution of good and evil in this world, in a general, indeed, but by no means an exact proportion to the degrees of moral worth; which feems to be inconfiftent with the perfect goodness and rectitude of God, as our moral governor. If, together with his attributes of infinite wisdom and power, he be also a lover of virtue, may it not be expected, it is faid, that he will reward it more completely than is generally done in this world, especially in the cafe of a man facrificing his life to his integrity, when he evidently cuts himself off from all profpect of any reward, except in a future ftate. It is acknowledged, that in this life we find all the perfection we could wish, confidering it as a state of trial and discipline in which to form virtuous characters, but in order to complete the fcheme, it seems to require another state, to which it may be fubfervient, and in which the characters G 4

that

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