to think from what I fayed, that there might be two christianitys in the world, and perhaps fhe was acquainted only with what was fpurious and false that I would proceed then, fhe entreated me, and with an earnest attention, fastened her large, black, fparkling eyes upon me, while I went on in the following

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Noble Zulima, there is, to be fure, One An account ever glorious active Principle, as you have of the chrifayed, and but One, a self-existent first cause, gion, in an who is the common parent, the author and the princefs creator of all things, and may be called our Zulima. Father. His are all natural and moral perfections. He is the most excellent of all poffible Beings. None can be compared to him. He infinitely excells every nature in its highest capacity, and is a power omnipotent. He is neceffaryly prefent every where, and in him all things live, and move, and have their being. At one view he fees the propriety of every thing, without a pause on his works, and according to the most perfect rectitude of his nature, prefers thofe ends, fchemes, and methods, which by his wisdom he sees most reasonable and beft, and which by his power he can pursue. The effential and everlasting fitneffes in things and actions are perfectly known to him, and are the true and invariable reasons of his conduct. In one bound

boundless prospect these fitneffes lie before him, and afford him inconceivable pleasure, as he knows there is nothing, and can be nothing, to draw him aside into actions contrary to the fitness of things, and that therefore he fhall ever act as becomes a Being of infinite perfection. This is the God of true chriftians. We adore One all-powerful, all-comprehending mind; the author, director, and difpofer of all things; whofe understanding is a region of pure unmixed light, replenished with an endless variety of the most beautiful scenes; and his will, the most perfect and unchangeable rectitude. He is but ONE. Two infinite Beings of the fame nature is abfurd.

When this bleffed God, the Father of the univerfe, had created the heavens and the earth, and produced various beings of different capacitys, he ordered his rational creature, man, to worship his Creator, and act as a moral agent, that is, as a being capable of perceiving truth ought to act. Endued with moral capacity or reason, it became incumbent on us, to extend our capacitys to all the truths our actions can relate to, and to conform to all the natures, circumftances and relations of things that we can observe and affect. We must faithfully endeavour to fulfil the obligations we are under to our au

thor,

thor, ourselves, and our neighbour, and by confideration and integrity, ftrive to manifest a practice of piety and virtue. Every thing agreeable to the truth of things we must do, to the utmost of our power. Every thing repugnant to their real natures and proportions we must avoid. Juftice, truth, mercy, goodness, must be our conftant employment. So far as our wisdom and power, duly attended to, can reach, we are obliged to mind those things; and if there be not a conftant exertion of all our power to do fo, we must, as reasonable creatures, be culpable in the eyes of that bleffed God, who acts himself by the real natures and proportions of all things. This is the law of reafon. It is the religion of nature.

But then, this first state is a state of darkness and difficulty, fubject to imperfection and corruption; the natural weakneffes of the creature are fo great, and the temptations, in the midft of which he is placed, fo numerous and strong, that he feems in a manner entitled to compaffion, and might expect the interpofition of a Being infinite in prefence, in power, in understanding. As it happened in fact, that violence and rapine had raged, and doth rage, among the nations of the earth, and that the generality of mankind renounced their allegiance to the maker and governor of the world that impiety, like an univerfal

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leprofy, overspread and infected the earth, fo as to render any visible diftinction of virtuous and vicious beings in it, very sinall and hardly difcernable; and that difcouragement and fear, under a fenfe of fome real guilt, must affect the hearts of the best of fuch weak and frail beings, it is not incredible and furprizing, that the Father of mercys and Judge of mankind, fhould fupply those defects, and support such beings, by fome pofitive affurance of his regard and favour, if we will become fincere lovers of virtue, and accordingly give due pains to advance and improve in it; but, of his anger and just difpleasure, if we continue in vitious courses, and ferve other gods. Here is a foundation for interpofure, and it cannot be denyed, but a Being of infinite wisdom and goodness may provide and bestow great remedys and encouragements on fuch a world as this; to promote that goodness he delights in, and blast the evil he abhors.

This, noble Zulima, the rational creature might expect from its Creator, and accordingly we find, that the Father of the universe was pleafed to counteract the prevailing corruption, and, in his infinite wisdom, began by felecting one family of the earth, to be a repofitory of true knowledge, and the pattern of obedience and reward among the nations. To this family he particularly re

veled himself, and visited them with difpenfations: He formed them into a nation under his fpecial protection, governed them by laws delivered by himfelf, and placed them in the open view of the world, firft in Africa, and afterwards in Afia. The Creator felected the Ifraelitish nation to be a public voucher of his being and providence, and to let the nations of the earth fee, that the worship of the true God, and a fteady course of right conduct, entitled the truly pious and virtuous to the protection and bleffings of the divine power; but idolatry and disobedience would procure the wrath of heaven, and fink them under calamitys. Any other people would have ferved for this purpofe as well as the Jews, and it was not out of partiality that God chofe them: but, as he was pleased, in his infinite goodness, to fet apart one nation to be a light upon a hill, he called the Ifraelites, because their ancestors were more pious and virtuous than the anceftors of any other nation. Even in this the Creator fhewed, that righteousness was his only regard.

Thus did the Lord of all the worlds, by revelation demonftrat himself to be the one true God, and manifeft by interpofure, when wickedness was univerfal, and amazingly great, that it is by the exercife of virtue and integrity only, fo far as the low rank of such R 2 imper