lutions, fudden Turns of Government, and final Periods: Others, with a furprizing Sagacity, have published to the World a univerfal History of Nature, as far as related to the Conftructure of this mundane Syftem; its Rife and Progrefs, from a Chaos, to a confiftent World; with the Viciffitudes it has already undergone, and the different * Fates it is yet to fuffer; but few, or none of these Authors, that I know of, have ventured fo far into the Depths of God, of Nature, and of Providence, as to attempt to discover the Origine of Man, for whom all this ftupendious Theatre was created: To know, what he was in his original Creation : What he made himself upon the Tranfgreffion and Fall: What he is, fince redeemed by the Blood of God; and what he shall be, when again elevated to those those glorious Manfions of Blifs and Immortality: These are Subjects of the highest Importance to Mankind; which therefore demand their most serious Reflections, as all the Sons of Adam are equally concerned in their Events.

NOSCE TE IPSUM-Man-, know thy felf; though a Sentence comprehended in very few Words, yet was adjudged, by all the great Ancients, as one of the wifeft Sayings, that ever dropp'd from the Mouth of the Delphick Oracle: Nor could Socrates, that wifeft of the Philofophers, believe otherwife, but that fo perfect a Rule of Life muft defcend from Hea

*Fates here only fignify Changes, and not any irreversible Decrees of God or Providence.

ven, and be the Voice of God himself to Mankind: For he rightly judged, that the most penetrating Mortal could never be able to couch fo much Energy, Force, and Expreffion into fo small a Compafs, or promulge a Law fo full, perfect, and extenfive, in fo few Words. For Self-reflection is not only Man's ableft Tutor, but is founded in Nature, and the Reason of Things.

GREAT and many are the Advantages that arife from the Application of our Faculties to the Acquifition of this Self-knowledge: It improves the Understanding, corrects the Judgment, and guards our Innocence: For a Man, that frequently thinks over his own Foibles, will be better enabled to take proper Measures, both to curb his falfe Appetites, and restrain his vitious Inclinations, the Source of moft of the Evils of Life: So that he that is able to govern his Nature, and fubdue himself, is greater than a Hero; and, as Solomon well obferves, than the General that takes a City.

BUT notwithstanding the Compleatness of this Rule, yet if we narrowly inspect the Bulk of Mankind, we fhall quickly perceive, that there is nothing in Nature, the Generality of Mortals fo little trouble themselves about, as the Laws of their own Being; the Extent, Limits and Boundaries of their own Understandings; whence it follows, that the Soul becomes ignorant of her own exalted Nature, and that elevated Station, which the ought to hold in the Scale of intellectual Beings: And, from

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from which fublime Dignity, tho' the Laws of Nature, in this fallen State of Things, would readily exclude her; yet the Laws of God and Revelation clearly declare her the Offspring of the Deity; and that she is derived from a divine Origine.

NOTHING Contributes fo much to the proper Execution of a Work of Confequence, as previously to reflect upon the Greatnefs, Extent, and Nobleness of the Defign we have in Hand: The regular Connexion and Dependence, that all the Parts ought to have upon each other; and the Labour and Abilities neceffary to execute the whole Scheme, and compleat it upon the wifeft Model. And when I seriously confider the great Helps afforded from the Light of Nature; the Force of Reason; and those two great Repofitories of all revealed Truths, the Old and New Teftament, I then am ready to think, I have nothing to fear: But when I again reflect upon the Greatness of the Task before me; the Obfcurity of many Things treated of; and my deficiency in the original Languages, I then defpair of Succefs, and am inclined to conclude, I have nothing to hope.

HOWEVER, I think proper, here, once for all to obferve: That I write not this Treatife for the Benefit of Gentlemen of great Learning and Experience, but to fatisfy the Scruples of those Perfons, whofe Understandings may be of a Size and Level with my own; and who may be capable of comprehending the various

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Propofitions, Deductions, and Connexions of a well regulated Difcourfe; though they are not able to penetrate into the fublime Myfteries of metaphyfical Speculations: So that an honeft, unbiafs'd, English Reader, that looks only to the Senfe, as it lies before him, and has nothing farther in View but to discover the Truth of Things, may be a more competent Judge of the following Effay, than a Man vain of his great Learning, and puffed up with a Senfe of his own Merits.

MOST fure I am; that learned Men cannot do a more acceptable Piece of Service to Religion, than to attempt to fet all the revealed Truths of God, of Nature, and of Providence, in fuch a clear Point of Light, as may filence the Cavils of Infidels; fatisfy the Defires of inquifitive Perfons; and recommend those facred Pages of the Old and New Testament, to the Perufal and Acceptance of all reasonable Men: And, therefore, through all the following Effay, I have ever taken Care to make Reafon my first Guide; and where her Light shines dim, or is obfcure and defective, there the facred Codes most properly come in to my Affiftance.

OF both Reason and Revelation God is the

Author; for he that revealed the Scriptures, alfo formed our Faculties: So that it would be the highest Reflection upon the Veracity of God, for us to fay; that either Reason can contradict Scripture, or Scripture Reason, if rightly understood and applied; for that would be to oppofe the Reafon of God

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communicated to Man in a State of Nature, to the Will of God given to Man in his Revelation; which is the fame, in Effect, as to oppofe God to himself, and involve the Almighty in felf-evident Contradictions: For Nature can never contradict God, nor the Laws of Nature oppose the revealed Will of God; because Nature is the Voice of God, who has established her Existence upon everlasting Foundations, that can never vary from the Course of Things, without the Interpofition of his divine Providence.

HAVING, therefore, these two Inftruments of Knowledge, viz. Reafon and Revelation, to direct our Course: The latter will point out to us these great Truths that are above the Reach of our mere natural Faculties to discover: And Reafon will confirm us in their Belief, by affuring us, that they are worthy of God to reveal: Thefe jointly exhibit to our View a grand Idea of the Contrivance and Designs of Providence They let us into the Mysteries of the Creation, Fall, and Redemption of Man; and of his last Changes, and the Confummation of all Things: Our Reafon therefore affures us, that God, who is infinitely wise, good, and powerful, created theWorld in the utmost Perfection, and gave it thofe glorious Attributes becoming his Almighty Wisdom; and Revelation confirms the fame Thing, and points out the peculiar Acts of that Creation: The fame Revelation further affures us; That God, upon a Survey of all his Works, found

Nothing,