Doubtless man must know and believe, in the first place, that there is a God, and that this God is but one; for God is too jealous of his honour and his dignity, and too much concerned in this important point, to lavish out happiness and his heavenly favours on any person who makes other gods to become his rivals, or who exalts a creature, or a mere chimera, into the throne of God. He must believe also, that God is a being of perfect wisdom, power and goodness, and that he is the righteous Governor of the world.—Man must also know, that he himself is a creature of God, furnished with a faculty of understanding to perceive the general difference between good and evil, in the most important instances of it; and endowed with a will, which is a power to chuse or to refuse the evil or the good: That he is obliged to exert these powers or faculties in a right manner, both toward God and toward himself, as well as his neighbour. I do not insist upon it, that he must know those propositions explictly, and in a philosophical manner: but he must have some sort of consciousness of his own natural powers, to know and distinguish, to chuse or to refuse good or evil, and must be sensible of his obligations to enquire and practise what is good, and to avoid what is evil.

As for the duties that relate to God, man is obliged to worship him with reverence, to honour him in his heart and life, on the account of his wisdom and power manifested in the world; to fear his majesty, to love him, and hope in his goodness, to give him thanks for what instances of it he partakes of, to seek to him for what blessings he wants, and to carry it toward him in all things as his Maker, his Lord, and his Governor.—He must know also, that since God is a righteous Governor, if he does not make good men happy in this world, and the wicked miserable, then there must be another world, wherein he will appoint some happiness for the good, and misery for the wicked; or in general, that he will some time or other distribute rewards and punishments to all persons, according to their behaviour: For this has a very considerable influence unto all holiness of life, and every part of morality, which will hardly be practised without these motives.

As for the duties which relate to other men, every man must know and believe, that as he is placed here amongst a multitude of fellow creatures of his own species or kind, he is bound to practise truth or veracity, justice and goodness toward them, according to the several relations in which he may stand, as a father, brother, son, husband, neighbour, subject, master, servant, buyer, seller, &c. And with regard to himself, he must know that he is bound to exercise sobriety and temperance, and to maintain a due government over his appetites and passions, that they run not into excess and extravagance. And finally, since every man will frequently find himself coming short of his duty to God and man, and betrayed into sin by the strength of his temptations, his appetites and passions, in the various occurrences of life, he must repent of his sins, be sincerely sorry for what he has done amiss, humbly ask forgiveness of God, and endeavour to serve and please him in all things for the time to come, and he must exercise a hope or trust in the mercy of God, that upon repentance and new obedience, God will forgive sinners, and take them again into his favour.


Isaac Watts