Do good, my son; first of all to those who most deserve it; but remember to do good to all. The greatest sinners receive daily instances of God's goodness towards them. He nourishes and preserves them, that they may repent and return to him; do you, therefore, imitate God; and think no one too bad to receive your relief and kindness when you see that he wants it.

I am teaching you latin and greek; and that you should desire to be a great critic, a fine poet, or an eloquent orator. I would not have your heart feel any of these desires; for the desire of these accomplishments is a vanity of the mind; and the masters of them are, generally, vain men. For the desire of any thing that is not a real good lessens the application of the mind after that which is so.

But I teach you these languages, that at proper times you may look into the history of past ages, and learn the methods of God's providence over the world; that reading the writings of the ancient sages, you may see how wisdom and virtue have been the praise of great men of all ages, and fortify your mind by their wise sayings.

Let truth and plainness, therefore, be the only ornament of your language, and study nothing but how to think of all things as they deserve to choose every thing that is best, to live according to reason and order, and to act in every part of your life in conformity to the will of God.

Study how to fill your heart full of the love of God, and the love of your neighbour: and then be content to be no deeper a scholar, no finer a gentleman, than these tempers will make you. As true religion is nothing else but simple nature governed by right reason, so it loves and requires great plainness and simplicity of life. Therefore avoid all superfluous show of finery and equipage, and let your house be plainly furnished with moderate conveniences. Do not consider what your estate can afford, but what right reason requires.

Let your dress be sober, clean, and modest; not to set out the beauty of your person; but to declare the sobriety of your mind; that your outward garb may resemble the inward plainness and simplicity of your heart. For it is highly reasonable that you should be one man, all of a piece, and appear outwardly such as you are inwardly.

As to your meat and drink, in them observe the highest rules of christian temperance and sobriety; consider your body only as the servant and minister of your soul; and only so nourish it as may best perform an humble and obedient service to it.

But, my son, observe this as a most principal thing, which I shall remember you of as long as I live with you. Hate and despise all human glory; for it is nothing else but human folly. It is the greatest snare, and the greatest betrayer that you can possibly admit into your heart.

Love humility in all its instances; practise it in all its parts; for it is the noblest state of the soul of man. It will set your heart and affections right towards God, and fill you with every temper that is tender and affectionate towards men.

Let every day, therefore, be a day of humility; condescend to all the weakness and infirmities of your fellowcreatures; cover their frailities, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their prosperity, compassionate their distress, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant of servants, and condescend to do the lowest offices to the lowest of mankind.

Aspire after nothing but your own purity and perfection: and have no ambition, but to do everything in so reasonable and religious a manner, that you may be glad that God is every where present, and sees and observes all your actions. The greatest trial of humility is an humble behaviour towards your equals in age, estate and condition

of life. Therefore, be careful of all the motions of your heart towards these people. Let all your behaviour towards them be governed by unfeigned love. Have no desire to put any of your equals below you, nor any anger at those that would put themselves above you. If they are proud, they are ill of a very bad distemper; let them therefore have your tender pity; perhaps your meekness may prove an occasion of their cure. But if your humility should do them no good, it will, however, be the greatest good that you can do to yourself.

Remember there is but one man in the world, with whom you are to have perpetual contention, and be always striving to exceed him; and that is yourself.

The time of practising these precepts, my child, will soon be over with you. The world will soon slip through your hands, or rather, you will soon slip through it. It seems but the other day that I received these same instructions from my dear father, that I am now leaving with you. And the God that gave me ears to hear, and a heart to receive what my father said unto me, will, I hope, give you grace to love and follow the same instructions.

Thus did Paternus educate his son."-Law's serious Call to a devout and holy life. Chapter 18.

INTRODUCTION.

"And he was called the Friend of God."

JAMES ii. 23.

ALL men talk of the excellence and pleasure of Friendship, but how few are acquainted with it in this its noblest kind and happiest exercise! The Friend of God is an appellation that would do an infinite honour to the most glorious angel; but it was given to a man like ourselves; and to stamp the justice of the name and the reality of the character, he was styled so by God himself, 'Abraham my friend.'* Yes, the lofty soul that is thus characterized by its Friendship with Deity, was a sojourner in mortal flesh; and it was amidst all the disadvantages of frail humanity, that it maintained such pure and exalted intercourse with God as to be denominated God's Friend. A singular and a matchless title, which the everlasting gospel, wherein it is recorded, shall perpetuate to the end of the world. Let us hear this with a pious and a generous emulation, and hence form a truer and a higher notion of what, even in the present state we are capable of being and enjoying.

* Isaiah xli. 8

Friendship with God is an incomparable theme, this includes every idea of majesty and devotion, and is above all human composures: here a celestial creature might preach, and all the sons of glory might attentively and joyfully hear; however, the transcendent dignity of this subject does not forbid its being handled in our imperfect way; nor must we decline to give it our best consideration, though no tongue or pen of man can come up to the grandeur and sublimity of it.

The ministers of religion should live to the same end for which Christ died: viz:-the bringing men to God-to the knowledge, love, and fellowship of him in this world, as the beginning of their complete and final blessedness in his communion and presence in the world to come to serve this great end to the best of my power, I have compiled this Treatise; the design of which is to recommend an humble and habitual intercourse with the Deity, as the essence of religion, and the source of rational and permanent happiness.