p ll E F A c I T is a maxim arr,ong 'Wife men, That the know– ledge of perfons is of a' great ufe in the con~u0: of human life , as the knowledge of things : and It IS mof!: cerrain, that he who knows the variou - ternper~, ht1mours, and difpofi.tion ; of men, who can find out their turn of thought,. an·d penetrate in to . the fee1·et fprings a_rid principles of their acting, \vill not be ~t a. lols to find out prGper means foi· compaffing his aims, , will taiily preferve himfelf from fnares, and either ,e– vite ot· overcome difficulties. But the knowledge of human nature, mora.!ly confidered, oi·, in oth,er word-::~ of the temper and diJpofidon 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 poifeued of fo valuabl~ a branch of knowledge, is thereby capacitated ~o jt~dge aright of himfelf, to un– dedtand true Chrifi.ianity, and to conceive juftly of perfeCt happinefs; ·and confummate mifery. . The dep;avity o~ human iiature is fo plainly taught, ' yea, inculcated ' in facred fcripture, and is- fo obvious to every thinking man's obfervation, who fearches his own breaft, and refietl:s duly on his temper and aclings, that it is furprizingly firange and wonderful, hew it comes to pai~, that this important truth is fo little un· derftood, yea fo much diibelieved, by men ·.vho beal'. the name of gofpel minifters. Are tl;ere net perfons to be found in a neigh.bouring nation, in the charac– ter' of pre·achers, appearing daily in p'u1pils, . who are fo unasquair':ited wirh their Bibles and themfelve2, that . they ridicule the doctrine of Original fin as unintel1i- . gible jargon ? If they are perfons of a moral life and C?O{lverfation,they feem to imagine th·.:y cannot becori1e ·b~tte.F th,an they are ; jf they are immoral, th~y feem to,.indulge a c'onceit, that they can become virtuou-s, · y~a religiol!s, w~en. they jleafe. Thefe are the men 'Yho t,alk of .the d1gmt.y offiuman nature, ofgrc~atnefs o~ a 2 Jnind, · I
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