ÉÌ THE IMPROVEMENT 0E TiiE AMINO. articles of any church or nation, &c. for there are many learned presumptions, many synodical and national mistakes, many estab- lished falsehoods, as well as many vulgar errors, wherein multi- tudes of men have followed one another for whole ages almost blindfold. It is of great importance for every man to be careful that these general principles are just and true ; for one error may lead us into thousands, which will naturally follow, if once a " leading falsehood" be admitted. 2. This rule will direct us to be more careful about practical points than mere speculations, since they are commonly of much greater use and consequence : therefore the speculations of Al- gebra, the doctrine of infinities and the quadrature of curves its mathematical learning, together with all the train of theorems in natural philosophy, shouldby no means intrench upon our studies of morality and virtue. Even in the science of divinity itself, the sublimest speculations of it are not of that worth and value, as the rules of duty towards God and towards men. 3. In matters of practice we should be most careful to fix our end right, and wisely determine the scope at which we aim ; becausethat is to direct us in thechoiceanduse of all the means to attain it. If our end be wrong, all our labour in the means will be vain, or perhaps so much the more pernicious as they are better suited to attain that mistaken end. If mere sensible plea- sure or human grandeur or wealth be our chief end, we shall chuse means contrary to piety and virtue, and proceed apace to- ward real misery. 4. This rule will " engage our best powers and deepest at- tention in the affairs of religion," and things that relate to a future World ; for those propositions which extend only to the interest of the present life, are but of small importance, when compared with those that have influence upon our everlasting concernments. 5. And even in the affairs of religion, if we walk by the conduct of this rule, we shall be ,nucb more laborious in our in- quiries into the necessary and fundamental articles offaith and practice than the lesser appendices of Christianity. The great doctrines of repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, with love to men, and universal holiness, will employ our best and brightest hours and meditations ; while the mint, annise, and cummin, the gestures, and ventures, and fringes of religion, will be regarded no further than they have a plain and evident connection with faith and love, with holiness and peace. 6. This rule will make us solicitous not only to " avoid such errors, whose influence will spread wide into the whole scheme of our own knowledge and practice," but such mistakes also whose " influence would be yet more extensive and injurious to others, as well as to ourselves ;" perhaps to many persons or many
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