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various parts, and forms one ftupendous whole. From the immenfe planetary orbs to

the animal, vegetable, and smallest particle of inanimate, creation, nothing exists for itself alone; nor is this principle of union less apparent in the moral world. Mind is of one and the fame nature, whether poffefs'd by Men, Angels, or God, and the operations of Intellect no more terminate in itself than the effects of matter.

WHAT a glorious view does it give of the univerfe, to confider the different parts of it as all depending on one everacting cause, and working in different ways by fimilar means, to the production of one great, good end!

THE Connection which is thus vifible between the different fpecies of the whole system of the natural and moral world, is still more visible between the different parts

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of the fame fpecies; and in particular, man finds himself united with man, in every thing which contributes to his prefervation and enjoyment. He comes into the world, even in a more helpless state than any other of the animal race; he paffes through a long and feeble state of childhood, not only his body wants tender care and constant affiftance, but his mind requires cultivation; he is plainly unequal to his own happiness; he pines in folitude; he defires the society of his fellow creatures; and he has as real fenfations of intereft, in the concerns of others, as those which he feels for himself, tho' unhappily too often overpowered by the latter mifconceived and most erroneously purfued. If fuch be the constitution of things in general, and fuch the nature of man, what are we to think of his living for himself alone, of fuffering all his thoughts to terminate within the narrow circle of his imagined perfonal concerns, unmindful

of the mifery or happiness of others, neither weeping with those that weep, nor rejoicing with those that rejoice? what, but that he forgets his nature that he is regardless of the great Author of his exiftence, who has fo forcibly pointed out to him a contrary difpofition and conduct?

CONSIDER him as actually engaged in the business of life, in a state of civilization; (for to know what man is, I would not fend you to the unnatural state of barbarifm, from which fome would fain draw all their theory of human nature, tho' I need not dread the leffon you might learn even from thence,) confider him as enjoying the pleasures which belong to either part of his frame, his body, or his mind, as having formed domeftic connexions, as engaging in the intercourfe of focial converse, as anfwering the calls of fome particular employment, or, if you please, exempted by the bounty

bounty of providence, from the neceffity of following any particular employment, ftill, if he will procure for himself the most exalted pleasure, he must seek for it in advancing the happiness of others; if he will promote his lafting interefts even in the prefent world, he must make it his business to go about doing good.

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WHO is there of us that does not acquiefce in the truth of fuch obfervations as thefe, and reckon them among the most clear and unavoidable conclufions, which the reafon of man muft draw from his nature and condition; yet let it not be forgotten, how little fuch obfervations were attended to by the generality of mankind, how little they were uniformly regarded, even by those who made them, either in the countries which were overfpread by the gloom of Pagan fuperftition, or the partly enlighten'd land of God's chofen people. I have

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I have no defire to build the temple of Revelation on the ruins of reafon; for I think

it the glory of Revelation, that it coincides with the whole constitution of things, and human nature, and that thofe parts of the information it conveys, which do not respect the mysterious difpenfation of God's free, and undeserved mercy to miserable finners, which "the very Angels must still desire to look into," are fuch as right reasoning from our nature and condition, might have led men to acquire for themselves; but I would not have you forget, what the fact was; that men did not acquire it, because their reafoning was not right, unbiased by corrupt propenfities; because they had not a rightknowledge of themselves, or their condition in the present life,

THOSE fentiments are most juft, and that difpofition in any literary production is deem'd to be moft correct, which appear to uncultivated

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