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and devoutly pray to him for his Direction and Affistance.

Ind. I hope I fhall follow your Advice; and I believe I fhall hardly forget the things you have told me.'

Mill. Farewel for the prefent; and may God keep you in this good Difpofition, and give you a teachable Temper, and for this Purpose join with me in the following. Prayer.

The PRA Y E R.

Nlarge thy Kingdom, O God, and de

liver the World from the Dominion and Tyranny of Satan. -Haften the Time, which thy Spirit has foretold, when: all Nations, whom thou haft made, fhall worship thee, and glorify thy Name.-Blefs the good. Endeavours of those who ftrive to propagate the Truth, and prepare the Hearts of all Men to receive it-To the Honour of thy Holy Name Amen.

I

DIALOGUE II.

Of the Corruption of our Nature.

Indian.

AM come again, kind Sir, for your further Inftruction. Your laft Words ⚫ have made me very thoughtful and uneafy, ⚫ when you told me with fo much Earneftnefs,That HAPPINESS OR MISERY WILL BE THE CERTAIN PORTION OF EVERY ONE AFTER DEATH!'

Mif. I told you nothing but the Truth; and I am not forry for your Uneafiness ;— fince that may prove in its Confequence the greatest Bleffing of your Life.

Ind. I do not understand how that can • be.'

Miff. But this you can easily understand, That they who are in Health, and think themselves in no Danger, will not look out for a Phyfician and other Help; but they that are fick, and fenfible of their Difeafe, will be glad of Advice, and will be apt to follow it *;· when once you are fenfible, that of yourself you are an ignorant, helpless, finful Creature†, incapable of either knowing or performing the Will of your Maker, or of reconciling + Rev. iii. 17.

* Matt. ix. 12.

yourfelf

yourself to him, whenever you have offended him.

Besides, I must tell you another Truth,

That the more you are afraid for yourfelf, the more will the Great God be disposed to pity you, and to deliver you from the Danger you are justly afraid of*; and to enable you to attain the End for which you were made, and fent into the World.

Ind. Will you be pleased to let me know what the End is for which God made us, and fent us into the World?'

Miff. God made Man, that he might have à Creature npon Earth endued with Reason, and capable of adoring his Maker, and of imitating his Perfections; and fit to partake of his Bounty and Happiness.

Ind.

Pray what is the Happiness you

• fpeak of?'

Mill. It is the Happiness of going to a Place of perfect Knowlege, Goodness, Love, Joy, and Peace, which is to laft for ever.

As nothing is more defirable than Life, nothing fhould more forcibly work upon Human Nature, than the Hopes of Everlafting Life.

Which Life God himself has fet forth to us by all fuch things as we are most commonly affected with:--As a CROWN,a KINGDOM,--a TREASURE, and INHE⚫ Ifa. lxvi. 2.

RITANCE

RITANCE undefiled, that fadeth not away; —and a—STATE of everlafting Joy and 'Pleasure.

<

Ind. If God originally defigned Men for this Happinefs, how came they to forfeit their Title to it ?*

Milf. They do it by being guilty of Sin; that is, by tranfgreffing the Law which God has given them.

Ind.

Has God given us any Law?” Milf. Yes, furely. He has given you and all Men Reafon, which is instead of a written Law or Rule, by which you ought to live, and may, in fome measure, know what is good, and what is evil; what will please, and what will displease, an boly, just, and good God.

Ind. But it is too plain, that People do not always observe this Rule or Law."

Mill. It is fo, and and that is their Sin, by which they difplease God, and debar themfelves of his greater Favours, and are in Danger of being miferable, even beyond what they can imagine.

Ind. But is not this the Cafe of many Christians, as well as of us?

Mill. It is furely fo,and they must fuffer feverely for it; God having given them plainer Rules, and greater Helps, to overcome and cure that Corruption of Nature, which is One great Occafion of all the Wickedness. which we fee in the World.

Ind

Ind. Pray what do you mean by THE "CORRUPTION OF OUR NATURE?

Miff. That I will now tell you ;-and what by your own Reafon and Experience you must acknowlege to be true. By the Corruption of Nature we mean, a ftrong Inclination to Evil, which we not only fee and blame in other People, but very fenfibly feel in ourselves; that is,-fomething within us, which often oppofeth our Reafon (and the other Laws which God has given us); fo that we are often tempted and prevail'd upon, to do what our own Judgment condemns us for, at the Time of doing it.

Ind. This indeed is too plainly the Cafe. '-Men follow not their Reafon, but their Paffions, their Inclinations, and their own perverfe Wills; and which too often they have Cause to repent of.'

Miff. You cannot but have obferved,that this Inclination to Evil is often fo violent, that Men commit all Iniquity with Gree- ́ dinefs; and this is the Occafion of all the Wickednefs which we fee and hear of ;

All the Cruelty, the Oppreffion, the Pride, the Injustice, the Malice, the Covetousness; the Lewdness, the Impurity, Murders, Drunken

It is cur Religion which has firft taught, That Man is born in Sin; no Sect of Philofophers ever faid this, and therefore no Sect ever faid the Truth. Monf. Pafcal's. Religious Thoughts, p. 63.

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mels,