Page:A Compendium of the Chief Doctrines of the True Christian Religion.djvu/120

116 possession of some kind of religion, and consequently that they should have some sense of a God, and of the duty incumbent upon them to pay respect to him in their life; these being the things inculcated by every religion. To acknowledge a God, and to live in conformity to his will, according to the dictates of conscience, bring heaven into the human mind, and therefore must qualify the man so living, whatever be his name, his country, or his creed, for the enjoyment of future happiness. Now it is well known, that many of the Heathens lead as moral lives as Christians, and that many of them excel professing Christians in this particular. But morality may be practised either with a view to meet the divine approbation, or to gain the applause of men. The former is called the spiritual life, because a spiritual principle is within it: not so the latter. Both outwardly appear alike, but inwardly and in reality they are very different; the one being profitable to salvation, while the other is not. For he who leads a moral life, as commanded by God, and out of religious respect to him, is guided by a heavenly and divine influence: but he who does the same only from human considerations, is actuated by a worldly and selfish principle. This may be illutrated by an example: If a person forbear to injure his neighbour, because it would be acting contrary to religion, and consequently to the divine will, such forbearance is from a spiritual origin: but if he refrain from doing the like merely through fear of the law, loss of character, honour, or advantage, such restraint from outward evil, being dictated by selfish and worldly motives, has nothing of virtue or religion in it. And so in other cases. From these observations may be clearly seen what it is that constitutes the heavenly life, and that this