and I had much rather they had been wholly fo, as acting otherwise has yielded me no folid fatisfaction, but the contrary. Howr ever, with fincerity and truth, I can fay, that I have had a real concern and regard for the prefent well being of my fellow creatures, as well as for their future happiness; it being, in my opinion, mere affectation of charity and benevolence to pretend we have a great regard for the future and eternal falvation of mankind, whilst we shew little or no concern for the prefent happiness of our neighbours, tho' their difficult and ftreightened circumstances and our abilities call upon and invite us to it, and render it reasonable that we should. Alas! how prepofterous is it, for a man to put on a fhew of great zeal for the good of his neighbour's foul in another world, whilft he fuffers him to pafs in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, through this; and to groan under the burthen of every other affliction, without ftretching forth his hand to his relief?and yet is not this too often the cafe? The fate of our neighbours fouls in another world is what we are not very well qualified to judge of; whereas their prefent happiness or mifery fall more directly in our view, and thereBb. 4

by

by become the more immediate objects of our prefent regard. And, as I am fully fatisfied that the paying a proper regard to the present happiness of my neighbours would have been my duty; fo, I verily believe, I fhould have acted the very fame part, whether I had an expectation of a future retribution, or not. I mention this, in oppofition to that falfe and unworthy principle, maintained by fome, viz. that mankind are fo entirely governed by felf-love, that they cannot perform any kind office to each other without a bribe, without a profpect of good to themselves, either in this world or the world to come. This, I am perfuaded, is fo far from being the truth of the cafe, that, I prefume, all good men frequently experience the contrary, and that they kindly interpose to serve their neighbours purely from love and goodwill towards them, without the leaft view of ferving themfelves thereby, either now or hereafter, and which furely is generally the cafe. For tho' the affection of felf-love may have been more or less viciated in all our fpecies, which is the principal and perhaps the general ground of our miscarriages; yet, it may fairly be prefumed, it is not the only spring of action even

to

to the worst, or most selfish of men; there being, I dare say, few, or none, so bad, so degenerated, but what perform fome good actions without any view of ferving themfelves, either directly or remotely, thereby.

I WOULD also observe, that whilft I am now writing, I think, I have the full exercise of my natural intellectual faculties, (my memory only excepted) and do not apprehend they are in the leaft clouded or impaired, fo as to render me lefs capable of judging properly upon any question,than at any time paft; and therefore I think myself now a much better judge, on any question to which my attention is called in, than I can be on a fick and dying bed, when my paffions may be alarm'd, my reflecting power greatly weakened, my attention broken and disturbed, and fuch other circumstances may attend my cafe, as may render me a much less proper judge than now of what I may give my opinion upon, when in the circumstances before mentioned. This being the cafe, I defire my readers to receive as my real fentiments what I myself now offer to them, and not what may be offered to them as fuch by others when I am dead, even tho'grounded, or pretended to be grounded, on what I may be represented to have faid on a fick bed, and may be confidered as

my

my best,by being my last and dying thoughts; tho' their being fuch would not by any means render them the best, nor make them to be of greater, but rather of lefs weight, upon the grounds abovementioned. The reafon why I mention this, is, becaufe perfons, when their reflecting powers have been ruffled by a violent fever, and their fears alarmed, perhaps by the infinuations of fuperftitious friends, or by the apprehenfions of death; under thefe circumstances have expreffed themselves very differently from what they had constantly adhered to, as their real fentiments, when in health, and this has been confidered and represented to be their best, as being their last and dying thoughts, and to be a recantation of their former opinions, when, in truth, fuch expreffions and declarations were not the produce of a fober folid judgment» grounded on argument and proper evidence, but only on a violent diforder upon the conftitution, which difqualified them from forming a proper judgment in any cafe whatever.; and to prevent any fuch pretences with regard to me, after my death, I have observed

as above.

I AM fenfible my continuance in this world will not be long, and therefore the utmost I can hope for is, that my writings

may

may be of fame fervice, and do some good to those perfons into whofe hands they may fall; to whom I farther and finally addrefs myself, in the words of St. Paul, Galatians vi. 7. Sirs, be not deceived, by the plaufible and fallacious reasonings of men, whatever character they may affume, whatever appearance they may make, or howfoever they may be admired and approved of by others: God is not, nor will be mocked by his creatures, he will not be imposed upon by false appearances, nor be bribed by any external performances, nor be misled by any outward pomp,fhew or affectation of any kind, but will judge of, and deal with every man according to what he is in himself, whether good or bad, and according as the truth of his cafe fhall be. If he be in reality and truth a good man, his goodness, confidered abstractedly from all foreign confiderations, will fave him, that is, it will render him acceptable to God, whether he be Greek or Roman, whether Scythian or Barbarian, bond or free. If he in reality be a bad man,or one who by his vile behaviour justly deserves that character, his badness will condemn him; that is, it will render him difapprovable to God, and no merit or interceffion that may

be