Page:The Commentaries of the Emperor Marcus Antoninus.pdf/12

 ( vii ) that's praiſe -worthy,

in the Diſpoſition of

Men's Minds, and in the Conduct of their Lives ; and are the source of all that is re puted moſt ſublime in the greateſt Poets and Philoſophers. If they are not of ſuch general Influence to retain Men within the Bounds of Duty, as are the Articles of the Cbriſtian Belief;

they are eſtimable notwithſtanding ,

in ſo far as they contribute to that End a mong the more incredulous Part of Man kind, and as baving a &tually furniſhed the World with Examples of the moſt exalted Vir tue. And a well-informed Chriſtian, wbo. reſts upon and glories in bis Belief, notfor its own Sake, and as the Badge of a Party ; but in ſo far as it opens a wider Door, to the Attainment of thoſe Virtues, wberein lies the Perfe &tion of Human Nature ; cannot be diſpleaſed to ſee the Duty of worſhipping God andloving our Neighbour, drawn from wbat our own Obſervation teaches us con

cerning the Nature of God and Man. What

theſe Thoughts are,

I leave the

Reader to gatherfrom an attentive Peruſal of the Book itſelf.

Thoſe that are moſt ef

ſential are often repeated, but always with fome Variety in the Turn of the Thought, and in the Form of the Expreſſion.

And what

mayſeem dificult in one place is for the

moſt