carrying to greater Heights, several
Points of Morality.

_Secondly_, In furnishing new and stronger Motives to enforce the
Practice of Morality.

_Thirdly_, In giving us more amiable Ideas of the Supreme Being,
more endearing Notions of one another, and a truer State
of our selves, both in regard to the Grandeur and
Vileness of our Natures.

_Fourthly_, By shewing us the Blackness and Deformity of Vice, which
in the Christian System is so very great, that he who is
possessed of all Perfection and the Sovereign Judge of
it, is represented by several of our Divines as hating
Sin to the same Degree that he loves the Sacred Person
who was made the Propitiation of it.

_Fifthly_, In being the ordinary and prescribed Method of making
Morality effectual to Salvation.

I have only touched on these several Heads, which every one who is
conversant in Discourses of this Nature will easily enlarge upon in his
own Thoughts, and draw Conclusions from them which may be useful to him
in the Conduct of his Life. One I am sure is so obvious, that he cannot
miss it, namely that a Man cannot be perfect in his Scheme of Morality,
who does not strengthen and support it with that of the Christian Faith.

Besides this, I shall lay down two or three other Maxims which I think
we may deduce from what has been said.

_First_, That we should be particularly cautious of making any
thing an Article of Faith, which does not contribute to
the Confirmation or Improvement of Morality.

_Secondly_, That no Article of Faith can be true and authentick, which
weakens or subverts the practical part of Religion, or
what I have hitherto called Morality.

_Thirdly,_ That the greatest Friend of Morality, or Natural Religion,
cannot possibly apprehend any Danger from embracing Christianity, as
it is preserved pure and uncorrupt in the Doctrines of our National
Church.

There is likewise another Maxim which I think may be drawn from the
foregoing Considerations, which is this, that we should, in all dubious
Points, consider any ill Consequences that may arise from them,
supposing they should be Erroneous, before we give up our Assent to
them.

For example, In that disputable Point of Prose