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6. Tho' our natural Reason in a State of Innocence might be fufficient to find out thofe Duties which were neceffary for an innocent Creature, in order to abide in the Favour of his Maker, yet in a fallen State our natural Reafon is by no means fufficient to find out all that is neceffary to restore a finful Creature to the divine Favour.

7. Therefore God hath condefcended in various Ages of Mankind to reveal to finful Men what he requires of them in order to their Restoration, and has appointed in his Word fome peculiar Matters of Faith and Practice, in order to their Salvation. This is called revealed Religion, as the Things knowable concerning God, and our Duty by the Light of Nature are called natural Religion.

There are alío many Parts of Morality, and natural Religion, or many natural Duties relating to God, to our felves, and to our Neighbours, which would be exceeding difficult and tedious for the Bulk of Mankind to find out and determine by natural Reason; therefore it has pleased God in this facred Book of Divine Revelation to exprefs the most neceffary Duties of this kind in a very plain and eafy manner, and made them intelligible to Souls of the loweft Capacity; or they may be very easily derived thence by the Ufe of Reafon.

9. As there are fome Duties much more neceffary, and more important than others are, fo every Duty requires our Application to understand and practise it in Proportion to its Neceffity and Impor

tance.

10. Where two Duties feem to ftand in Oppofition to each other, and we cannot practife both, the less must give Way to the greater, and the Omiffion of the lefs is not finful. So ceremo

nial Laws give Way to moral: God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice.

11. In Duties of natural Religion, we may judge of the different Degrees of their Neceffity and Importance by Reafon, according to their greater or more apparent Tendency to the Honour of God and the Good of Men: But in Matters of revealed Religion, it is only divine Revelation can certainly inform us what is moft neceffary and most important; yet we may be affifted alfo in that Search by the Exercises of Reafon.

12. In Actions wherein there may be fome fcruple about the Duty or Lawfulness of them, we fhould choose always the fafeft Side, and abstain as far as we can from the Practice of Things whose Lawfulness we suspect.

13. Points of the greatest Importance in human Life, or in Religion, are generally the most evident, both in the Nature of Things and in the Word of God; and where Points of Faith or Practice are exceeding difficult to find out, they cannot be exceeding important. This Propofition may be proved by the Goodness and Faithfulness of God, as well as by Experience and Obferva

tion.

14. In fome of the outward Practices and Forms of Religion, as well as human Affairs, there is frequently a prefent Neceffity of Speedy Action one Way or another: In fuch a Cafe, having furveyed Arguments on both Sides, as far as our Time and Circumstances admit, we must guide our Practice by thofe Reasons which appear most probable, and feem at that Time to overbalance the reft; yet always referving room to admit farther Light and Evidence, when fuch Occurrences return again. It is a Preponderation of circumftantial Arguments

Arguments that muft determine our Actions in a thoufand Occurrences.

15. We may alfo determine upon probable Arguments where the matter is of Small Confequence and would not anfwer the Trouble of feeking after Certainty. Life and Time are more precious than to have a large Share of them laid out in scrupulous Enquiries, whether moaking Tobacco, or wearing a Periwig be lawful or no.

16. In Affairs of greater Importance, and which may have a long and lafting, and extenfive Influence on our future Conduct or Happiness, we should not take up with Probabilities, if Certainty may be attained. Where there is any Doubt on the Mind, in fuch Cafes we fhould call in the Affiftance of all manner of Circumftances, Reafons, Motives, Confequences on all Sides: We must wait longer and with earnest Request seek human and divine Advice before we fully determine our Judgment and our Practice, according to the old Roman Sentence, Quod ftatuendum eft femel, deliberandum eft diu. We should be long in confidering what we must determine once for all.

SECT. IV.

Principles and Rules of Judgment in Matters of human Prudence.

TH

HE great Defign of Prudence, as diftinct from Morality and Religion, is to determine and manage every Affair with Decency, and to the best Advantage.

This is decent, which is agreeable to our State, Condition, or Circumftances, whether it be in Behaviour, Discourse, or Action.

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That is advantageous which attains the moft and best Purposes, and avoids the moft and greatest Inconveniencies.

As there is infinite Variety in the Circumstances of Perfons, Things, Actions, Times and Places, fo we must be furnished with fuch general Rules as are accommodable to all this Variety by a wife Judgment and Difcretion: For what is an Act of confummate Prudence in fome Times, Places and Circumstances, would be confummate Folly in others. Now thefe Rules may be ranged in the following

manner.

1. Our Regard to Perfons or Things fhould be governed by the Degrees of Concernment we have with them, the Relation we have to them, or the Expectation we have from them. These should be the Measures by which we should proportion our Diligence and Application in any thing that relates to them.

2. We fhould always confider whether the Thing we purfue be attainable; whether it be worthy our Purfuit; whether it be worthy the Degree of Purfuit; whether it be worthy of the Means used in order to attain it. This Rule is neceffary both in Matters of Knowledge, and Matters of Practice.

3. When the Advantages and Disadvantages, Conveniencies and Inconveniencies of any Action are balanced together, we must finally determine on that Side which has the fuperior Weight; and the fooner in things which are neceffarily and fpeedily to be done or determined.

4. If Advantages and Disadvantages in their own Nature are equal, then thofe which are moft certain or likely as to the Event fhould turn the Scale of our Judgment, and determine our Prac

5. Where

5. Where the Improbabilities of Succefs or Advantage are greater than the Probabilities, it is not Prudence to act or venture. It is proper to enquire whether this be not the Cafe in almost all Lotteries; for they that hold Stakes will certainly fecure Part to themselves; and only the Remainder being divided into Prizes must render the Improbability of Gain to each Adventurer greater than the Probability.

6. We fhould not defpife or neglect any real Advantage, and abandon the Purfuit of it, tho we cannot attain all the Advantages that we defire. This would be to act like Children, who are fond of fomething which ftrikes their Fancy moft, and fullen and regardless of every thing else, if they are not humoured in that Fancy.

7. Tho' a general Knowledge of Things be ufeful in Science and in human Life, yet we fhould content our felves with a more fuperficial Knowledge of those things which have the leaft Relation to our chief End and Defign.

8. This Rule holds good alfo in Matters of Bufinefs and Practice, as well as in Matters of Knowledge; and therefore we should not grasp at every thing, left in the end we attain nothing. Perfons that either by an Inconftancy of Temper, or by a vain Ambition, will purfue every fort of Art and Science, Study and Business, feldom grow excellent in any one of them: And Projectors who form twenty Schemes feldom ufe fufficient Application to finish one of them, or make it turn to good Account.

9. Take heed of delaying and trifling amongst the Means instead of reaching at the End. Take heed of wafting a Life in mere fpeculative Studies, which is called to Action and Employment: Dwell not too long in philofophical, mathematical, or

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