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of them with such Temperance as may most secure our Health; (a) and sometimes by Fasting, to render our Bodies more subservient to the Mind; that We ou it may with more Freedom advance itself towards ece not higher Objects. But the chief Part of Religion is phd to Eat every where declared to consist in such (b) a godly Faith, by which we may be framed to such (c) a any mesh but sincere Obedience, as to (d) trust wholly upon God, are to be and have (e) a firm Belief of his Promises; (f)

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Vemperat. & whence arises Hope, (g) and a true Love both of God and of our Neighbour, which causes Obedience to his commands; (h) not a servile Obegrand hart is dience, proceeding from the Fear of Punishment, to have a (i) but because it is well-pleasing to him, (4) and firm Taith because he is our Father, (2) and Rewarder, out of dobedience

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(a) And sometimes by fasting, &c.] Matt. vi. 18. xvii. 21.

1 Cor. vii. 5.

(b) A godly Faith, &c.] John xii. 44.

(c) A sincere Obedience, &c.] Luke xi. 28. John xii. 7. and the following Verses; 1 Cor. vii. 19. 1 Pet. i. 2.

(d) Trust wholly upon God, &c.] Mat. xxi. 21. 2 Tim. i. 12. (e) A firm Belief of his Promises, &c.] Rom. iv. 20. 2 Cor. vii. 1. Gal. iii. 29..

(f) Whence arises Hope, &c.] Heb. vi. 2. Rom. viii. 24.

XXV. 4.

(g) And a true Love, both of God, &c.] Gal. vi. 1 Thess. iii. 6. (h) Not a servile Obedience, &c.] Rom. viii. 15.

Heb. xii. 28.
Rom. viii.

(i) But because it is well-pleasing, &c.] (k) And because he is our Father, &c.] (1) And Rewarder, &c.] Coloss. iii. 24. 2 Thess. i. 6. To which we may add, that we can easily apprehend, that his Precepts are most worthy of him, and so exactly suited to our Nature, that better or more agreeable cannot be conceived by any one; therefore we ought to render ourselves obedient to Him, out of a grateful Sense of his Commands, because they are the best and most excellent that can be; and this, though there were no Punishment to be inflicted on the Diso

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his exceeding Goodness towards us. (a) And we are commanded to pray, not to obtain Riches or Honours, and such other Things, which many have desired to their own Hurt; but, in the first Place, for such Things as are for the Glory of God; and so much only for ourselves, of those perishable Things, as Nature requires, permitting, the Rest to Divine Providence; being contented which Way soever they happen: But for those Things that lead to Eternity, we are to pray with all Earnestness, viz. for Pardon of our past Sins, and for the Assistance of the Spirit for the future; that being established firmly against all Threats and Temptations, we may continue on in a godly Course. This is the Worship of God required by the Christian Religion, than which certainly nothing can be conceived more worthy of him. Scotland.

SECT. XII.

Concerning the Duties of Humanity, which we owe to our Neighbour, though he has injured us.

THE Duties towards our Neighbour, required of us, are all of the like Sort. The Mahometan Religion, which was bred in Arms, breathes nothing else; and it is propagated by such Means only. (b) Thus Aristotle takes notice of, and blames the Laws

bedient, beside the Baseness of the Fact itself: This is to obey God like Sons, and not like Servants. Le Clerc.

"Like

(a) And we are commanded to pray, &c.] Matt. vi. 10. (b) Thus Aristotle, &c.] Polit. VII. Chap. 14. "unto these are some, who afterwards declared their Opi"nions in their Writings. For in praising the Government "of the Lacedæmonians, they commend the Design of the Lawgiver, because the whole Establishment tended to Power "and War: Which may easily be confuted by Reason, and

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Laws of the Laconians, which were so highly commended above any other in Greece, even by the Oracle of Apollo, because they tended directly to Force of Arms. But the same Philosopher affirms, the War against Barbarians was lawful : Whereas the contrary is true amongst Men, who were designed by Nature for Friendship and SoThe Condecal ciety. (a) For what greater Iniquity can there Beebe, than to punish single Murders; but expose to public View, in their Triumphs, whole Nabe more tions whom they had slain, as a glorious Exploit? And yet that most celebrated City of Rome, how dreadful did it procure that Title, but by Wars, and those (b) many Times very unjust; as they themselves confess concerning (c) the Wars against Sardinia (d) and Cyrus? And in general, as the most famous Compilers of Annals have related; very many Nations did not account it infa

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" is now confuted by Facts." Euripides, in Andromacha, said it before Aristotle:

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If War and Glory,

And the Sword, were from the Spartans taken,
There's nothing excellent that would remain.

(a) For what greater Iniquity, &c.] To this Purpose is the 96th Epistle of Seneca, and Book II. Chap. 8. concerning Anger; and the Second Epistle of Cyprian.

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(b) Many Times very unjust, &c.] Petronius.

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(c) The Wars against Sardinia, &c.] See Polybius, Hist. III.

(d) And Cyprus, &c.] Florus, Book III. Chap. 9.

"So

great was the Report, and that very justly, of its Riches; "that though they were a People that conquered Nations, " and were accustomed to bestow Kingdoms; yet at the In"stance of Publius Clodius the Tribune, it was given in "6 Charge, to confiscate the King, though alive, and their Ally.' Plutarch mentions the same Thing in his Life of Cato, and Appian, Book II. of his Politics; and Dion, Book XXXVIII. See the same Florus, in his War of Numantia and Crete.

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mous, (a) to commit Robberies out of their own Bounds. (b) Executing of Revenge is, by Aristotle and Cicero, made a Part of Virtue.

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(a) To commit Robberies, &c.] Thucydides, Book I. "Formerly the Greeks, as well as the Barbarians, whether they "lived on the Continent near the Sea-shore, or whether they "inhabited the Islands; after they began to hold Corres→ Ipondence with one another by sailing, fell to robbing, "led on by great Men, either for the Sake of Gain to themselves, or to procure Victuals for them that wanted. And "happening upon Cities which were not walled, but inha"bited like Villages, they plundered them, and the greatest "Part made their Advantage of them, being not ashamed as "yet of doing thus, but rather accounting it glorious. This "is evidently the Practice of some that dwell upon the Con "tinent now, who account it honourable to do thus; and amongst the ancient Poets, it is very frequent for them who "met Sailors, to ask them if they were Pirates; knowing "that they who were so asked, would not disown it; nor "they who asked them, think it any Reproach. Nay, they "robbed one another, upon the very Continent; and a great

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many of the Greeks live now in this ancient Manner, as the “Ozolan Locrians, the Ætolians, the Acarnanians, and those of "the adjoining Continent." The Question Thucydides here mentions, is in Homer's Odyss. T'. Upon which the Scholiast "To plunder, was not accounted infamous, but glorious, "by the Ancients." Justin, Book XLIII. Chap. 3. concerning the Phocensians. "They were more diligent in occupying "the Sea, than the Land, in fishing, and trading; and very "often they spent their Lives in plundering" (which at that Time was looked upon as honourable). Concerning the Spaniards, see Plutarch in Marius ; and Diodorus, Book V. concerning the Tyrrhenians. Servius on the Eighth and Tenth Eneids, Casar,Tacitus, and Saxo-Grammaticus, concerning the Germans.

(b) Executing of Revenge, &c.] Aristotle's Ethics to Nichomachus, IV. II. "Such an one seems to be no Ways af"fected or concerned, nor to revenge himself, unless pro"voked; but it shews a mean Spirit, to bear contemptuous "Treatment." And Tully, in his Second Book of Invention, places Revenge amongst the Duties that belong to the Law of Nature: " Whereby either in our own Defence, or by Way "of Revenge, we keep off Force or Reproach." And to Atticus, "I hate the Man, and will hate him: I wish I could revenge myself upon him." And against Antony: "I would revenge every single Crime, according to the Degree of Pro"vocation in each."

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(a) The Gladiators tearing one another to Pieces, was one of the public Entertainments amongst the Heathens; (b) and to expose their Children, was a daily Practice. The Hebrews, indeed, had a better Law, a more holy Discipline; but yet there was some Things overlooked or allowed in that People, whose Passion was ungovernable; (c) such as the giving up to their Power seven Nations, tho' indeed they deserved it: With which they not being contented, (d) persecuted with cruel Hatred, all that differed from them; (e) the Marks of which remain even to this Day, in their Prayers uttered against Christians: And the Law itself allowed a Man (ƒ) to revenge an Injury by the Punishments of Retaliation, and that a Man-slayer might be killed by the private Hand of the next Relation. But the Law of Christ (g) forbids requiting any Injury that hath been done us, either

(a) The Gladiators, &c.] See Lactantius, Book II. and Tertullian concerning Shews, Chap. 19.

(b) And to expose their Children, &c.] See Justin's Second Apologetic, Chap. 9. and Lactantius's Institution, Chap. 20. and Terence's Hecyra.

(c) Such as the giving, &c.] Exod. xxxiv. 11, 12. Deut. vii. 1, 2.

(d) Persecuted with cruel Hatred, &c.] R. Levi Ben Gerson tells us they were to endeavour to injure them any Manner of Way. Bechai says, that what was taken from them by Theft, was not to be restored.

(e) The Marks of which, &c.] See a little Book of Prayers, put out at Venice, in a small Volume, Page 8. and a German Book of Antonius, Margarita, and Maimonides, on the Thirteen Articles, where he says, they are to be destroyed, who do not believe them. And it is a frequent Saying in the Mouths of the Jews," Let all Sectaries suddenly perish." The like Saying we find in R. Isaac's Berischith Rabba, and the Talmud in Baba Kama, and Baba Bathra.

(ƒ) To revenge an Injury, &c.] Lev. xxiv. 20. Deut. xix. 21. g) Forbids requiting any Injury, &c.] Matt, v. 38. 44.

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