in the other world: and is indeed that, wherein the depravity of human nature properly confifts.

Upright Adam's nature faintly adumbrated the divine, in a moderated felf-esteem, an adequate felf-love, and delightful reflexion on his own borrowed excellency, regulated by a just efteem of, and fupreme love to his adored Creator: whence a peaceful ferenity of mind, a loving, compaffionate, and benevolent difpofition of foul, a depth of thought, and brightness of imagination, delightfully employed in the rapturous contemplation of his beloved Maker's infinite perfections: thus bearing the divine image, and resembling GOD that made him. But no fooner did he difobey the divine probatory command, than the fcales were caft, his moderated felfesteem degenerated into pride, his adequate felf-love shrunk into mere felfifhnefs, and his delightful reflexions on his own excellency varied into the tickling pleafures of VANITY and CONCEIT: he loft view of the Author of his being, and thenceforth, instead of delighting in him, first dreaded, and then defpifed him.

The modeft, and therefore hitherto anonymous author of the following difcourfes, Mr. Thomas Bofton, having handled this Subject, in preaching to his own obfcure parochial congregation of Etterick, in the Sheriffdom of Selkirk, had a particular view to their benefit, in printing and publishing them; and therefore the ftile and method is plain and fimple,, and the first edition printed on coarfe paper; but the fubject is fo comprehenfive and important, fo well managed, and the book has been fo well received, that it now appears in the world more embellished, as well as better corrected than formerly.

Let it fuffice, to recommend it to thofe who have a right tafte of genuine chriftianity, that all the author's notions flow fo directly from the facred fountain, that it is to be doubted, if he bas had much recourfe to any other helps than his Bible and his GOD for affiftance. Mean time, I am aware of an exceptien from thefe who rank themselves among the polite part of mankind, as that there is the fame harsh peculiarity of dialect in it, which is commonly to be found in books of practical divinity. But I beg leave to obferve, That the dialect they except againft, is borrowed from facred fcripture and likeas it has pleafed GOD, by the foolifhnefs of preaching to fave them that believe; fo also to countenance what they are difpleafed

with