830 PREFACE. religion; always rememberingthatthe surest way to find out truth, is not by a disputing spirit, and seeking out all possible objections, but by an inward love of truth, by impartial meditation and search otter clear ideas. Perhaps -I might be a little pleased with some of these philosophemes in the warmer years of life; but i look upon them now with much indifference, as things afar off, and which have passed in another century. I review them as it were with theeyeof a stranger, rather than with the fondness of a young author, What darknesses hang about them, I should beglad to see scattered by the raysof truth, or to hear of a much clearer and fairer hypothesis of the world ofspirits substituted in the roomof all that I have written, and I should embrace it with new and sinceredelight. But if we can know nothing further of our souls, i. e. of ourselves, in this embodied and obscure state, than merely to say we are thinking beings, if it is not allowed us to be further acquainted with our own essence or our natural powers, if we can never find out how our spirits form their ideas, or exert their freedomof will, how we move our bodies or change our relations of place, it becomes us to lie humble at the foot of our Maker, the infinite and Almighty Spirit, and tocontent ourselves under our present ignorance. It is happy for us, that this does not affect our moral and more important concerns. This does not alter our relations or our duties to God or our neighbour, nor make any inroad upon ourdivine and everlasting interests. It would be very pleasing indeed to walk onward through this dark world, with some clear no. tions of what we ourselves are and shall be, as well as of the power that made us; but our incurable defects in this sort shall never seclude us from his favour. We may learn to "know the only true God" so far as to adore and obey him, without pronouncing concerning the essence of the great un- searchable. " We mayknow him," and love him as the original " Father of all, andhis Son Jesus whom he has sent. This is life eternal." And when we shall have travelled over the stage of time, by the light and influence of this knowledge,we shall forsake at once these scenes of mortality and sha. dows ; we shall change this dusky region for a brighter. Farewell books, and disputes, and dark notions, and lame hypotheses ! We enter into the state of unbodied minds, we shall see ourselves and our fellow -spirits ; there we shall commence our happy immortality in those pureandexquisite delights of unerring contemplation, and undecaying love. JAN. 17th, 1732-3.
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