RECOMMENDATION HU By Mr MICHAEL BOSTON, The Author's Grandfon. IAN NATURE in its FOURFOLD STATE was the firft production of my venerable Anceftor, introduced to the public. It made its first appearance in the year 1720. Since that period, it has undergone, at an average, one compleat Edition every two years. Twenty thoufand copies of it have been exported to AMERICA, from one fingle city in SCOTLAND, befides thofe that have been fent to the Continent from ENGLAND and IRELAND. The rapid fale of the Book upon its firft publication, is a demonftrative proof of the efteem in which it was then held; and the uninterrupted demand for it ftill, hows that the Principles it inculcates, are yet held in repute. All that I need further to add, is, that this Edition is printed from that one revised and corrected by the AUTHOR himself, and may therefore be efteemed correct.. MICHAEL BOSTON. FALKIRK, Dec. 1784. E FAC C E. PR RE T is a maxim among wife men, That the knowledge of per knowledge of things; and it is most certain, that he who knows the various tempers, humours, and difpofitions of men, who can find out their turn of thought, and penetrate into the fecret fprings and principles of their actings, will not be at a lofs to find out proper means of compaffing his aims, will eafily preferve himfelf from faares, and either evite or overcome difficulties. But the knowledge of human nature, morally confidered, or, in other words, of the temper and difpofition of the foul in its moral powers, is of much greater value; as it is of ufe in the concerns of an unchangeable life and world: he who is poffelfed of fo valuable a branch of knowledge. is thereby capacitated to judge aright of himself, to understand true Chriftianity, and to conceive juftly of perfect happiness, and confumimate mifery. The depravity of human nature is fo plainly taught, yea, inculcated in facred fcripture,and is fo obvious to every think. ing man's obfervation, who fearches his own breaft, and reflects duly on his temper and actings, that it is furprizingly strange. and wonderful, how it comes to pafs, that this important, truth is fo little understood, yea, fo much disbelieved, by men who bear the name of gofpel Minifters. Are there not perfons to be found in a neighbouring nation, in the character of preachers, appearing daily in pulpits, who are fo unacquainted with their Bibles and themselves, that they ridicule the doctrine of original fin as unintelligible jargon? If they are perfons of a moral life and converfation, they feem to imagine, that they cannot become better than they are; if they are immoral, they feem to indulge a conceit, that they can become virtuous, yea, religious, wher they pleafe. There are the men who talk of the dignity of human nature, of greatnefs of miad, noblenefs of foul, and generofity of fpirit: as if they intended to perfuade themselves and others, that pride is a good principle; and do not know, that that pride and felfishness are the bane of mankind, productive of all the wickedness, and much of the mifery to be found int this and in the other world; and is indeed that, wherein the depravity of human nature properly confists. Upright Adam's nature faintly adumbrated the vine, in a moderate felf-esteem, an adequate felf-love and delightful reflexion on his own borrowed excellency, regulated by a juft eneem of, and fupreme love to his adored Creator: whence at peaceful ferenity of mind, a loving, compaffionate and benevo-lent difpofition of foul, a depth of thought, and brightness of imagination, delightfully employed in the rapturous contemp-lation of his Maker's infinite perfections; thus bearing the divine image, and refembling GOD that made him. But no fooner did he disobey the divine probatory command, than the feales were caft, his moderated self-esteemdegenerated into pride, his adequate felf-love fhrunk into mere felfishness, and his delightful reflections on his own excellency, varied into the tickling pleasures of vanity and conceit: he loft view of the Author of his being, and thenceforth, inftead of delighting in him, first dreaded, and then despised him.. The modeft, and therefore hitherto anonymous author of the following Difcourfes, Mr. THOMAS BOSTON, having handled this fubject in preaching to his own obfcure parochial congrega tion of Ettrick, in the Sheriffdom of Selkirk, had a particular view to their benefit, in printing and publishing them; and therefore the stile and method is plain and fimple, and the first edition printed on coarse paper; but the fubject is fo comprehenfive and important, fo well managed, and the book has beent fo well received, that it now appears in the world more enbellished, as well as better corrected than formerly. · Let it fuffice, to recommend it to thofe who have a right tafte of genuine Chriftianity, that all the Author's notions flowe fo directly from the facred fountain, that it is to be doubted, if he has had much recourfe to any other helps than his Bible and his GOD for affiftance. Mean-time, I am aware of an exception from thefe who rank themfelves among the polite part of mankind, as that there is the fame harsh peculiarity of dialect in it, which is commonly to be found in books of practical divinity. But I beg leave to obferve, That the dialect they except againft, is borrowed from facred Scripture and likeas "it has pleafed GOD, by the foolishness of preaching to fave "them that believe ;" fo alfo to countenance what they are difpleafed with, by the operations of his Spirit on the minds of A 3 true true Chriftians, as their common experience witneffeth. However, I heartily with, the exception were altogether removed, by fome perfon's digefing into a methodical treatise, the views of human nature in its primitive perfection, in its deprav d condition, and in its retrieved ftate, who is mafter of modern ftile, and throughly understands the fubjects difcourfed in this book, that becoming all things to all men, Some (viz. of all ranks and kinds of men) may be gained. I am not to declaim at large in favours of religion; this were to write a book by way of preface. Many able pens have been employed in recommending it to the world by strong arguments drawn from its usefulness to fociety, its fuitableness to the dignity of the rational nature, and the advantages arifing to men from it in this and the other world. But, after all, may not one be allowed to doubt, if religion be rightly underfood by all its patrons? may not the beauties and excellencies of a precious gem be elegantly defcribed by a naturalift, or jeweller, who never faw the particular one he talked of, and knows little of its nature, lefs of the conftruction of its parts, and nothing of its proper ufe? Are there not men of bright parts, who reafon finely in defence of religion, and yet are fo much strangers to it, that they brand the perfons who are fo happy as to be poffeffed of it, with the hard name of fpiritualists, reckoning them a kind of enthufiafts, unworthy of their regard.. The truth is, Chriftianity is a mystery, niere reafon does not comprehend it. There is a fpiritual difcerning neceffary to its being rightly understood, whence it comes to pafs, that men of great learning and abilities, tho' they read the Scriptures with attention, and comment learnedly upon them; yet do not, yea cannot enter into the vein of thought peculiar to the infpired peaman, because they fhare not of the fame Spirit; wherefore it is, that the Apostle Paul afferts the natural, that is, unregenerate man, not to "know the things of God, neither indeed to be capable of knowing them, because they are fpiritually "difcerned." From what has been faid, it is easy to conclude, That no pedantic apology on the part of the Author, for appearing in print, or fawning compliments to the courteous reader, on the part of the prefacer, are to be expected. The truth is, both the one and the other are rather little arts, vailing pedantry and conceit, than evidences of modefty and good fenfe. It is of more ufe to recommend the perfual of the book to perfons of all ranks and degrees, from a few fuitable topicks, than to fhew therein this Edition differs from the first. That |