than its having been produc'd by thisShame. Nor is it only moft fecure to us, but most pleafing to God; for tho' all the Methods, that God uses to bring us to Repentance, are of excellent use and agreeable to his Di vine Wisdom; and a true Repentance, by any of those Means wrought, is accepted by him; yet certainly that which fprings from the Senfe of hisGoodness being abus'd, and the Foulness of our Guilt, and the Shame of our Ingratitude, must be more acceptable, than that which is extorted by the fervile Principle of Fear. And that Man has certainly a Temper fram'd by Nature for Virtue and Goodness, whom the sense of an ill or unworthy Action, into which he has unfortunately fall'n, fo overwhelms with Shame, that he would willingly ex change the Punishment he feels within from That, for any outward Torment that can be inflicted or invented.

On the contrary, there can be no greater Sign of an hardned and fettled Impenitency, nor any greater Aggravation of Guilt, than want of Shame. This is that of which God by his Prophet with fo much Indignation complains,Thou hadst a Whore's Forehead,thou refufedft to be afbam'd; and in a more peculiar manner threatens with Destruction, Jer.8.12. Were they afbam'd, when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all asham'd, K 4 neither

that

neither could they blush: therefore fball they fail among them that fall, in the time of their Vifitation they shall be caft down, faith the Lord. But, if not to Blush at our Wickedness be fo heinous an Abomination, and deferves fo much Vengeance, what must be their Portion, who not only difdain to blush at their Impieties, but glory in 'em? That fet up for Patrons of Vice, and are proud to draw over Profelytes to Iniquity; that would have all their own defperate Wickedneffes pass for Gallantry of Spirit, and good Breeding; and all the contrary Virtues of Others for want of Mettle or Affectation of Singularity? These are next of kin to the evil Spirits themselves would draw all they could into the fame Condemnation; and in an Age, wherein Custom sways almost as much as Reason, no wonder if fome deluded People, who really deferve Pity, taking these for the choiceft Spirits of the Time, choose rather to forfeit their Confcience, than be out of the Mode; and it is too plain, that many, otherwise well enough difpos'd Minds, have too much comply'd with the reigning Vices and Follies of the Times, meerly out of Shame of being thought fingular, and Men of a Humour by themselves. But befides, the unaccountable Abfurdity of this Plea of Singularity, there is a further Confideration behind,

behind, of an Infinitely higher Concern, of Infinitely greater Weight and Moment, enough to make Men tremble at their Danger, as well as blush at their Folly. For if they would but ferioufly lay to heart what our Saviour pronounces in the 8th Chapter of St. Mark, and the laftVerfe. Whosoever shall be afbam'd of me in this adulterous and finful Generation; of him alfo fhall the Son of Man be afbam'd, when he cometh in the Glory of his Father, with the holy Angels; they would certainly be convinc'd, that it is of as dangerous Confequence for them, to be afham'd of their Glory, as it is for the Others, to Glory in their Shame.

I come now,in the laft Place,to the Third Propofition in my Text; That tho' Sin yielded never fo much Fruit and SatisfaЯtion, or were never fo much in Esteem or Repute, yet the end of thofe things is Death. As Righteoufnefs tendeth to Life; fo He that purfueth Evil, purfueth it to his Own Death! Prov. 11. 19. As Religion and Virtue tend directly to the Prefervation of the Health of the Body, as well as the Soul; fo Sin and Vice are as conftant Enemies to both, and as fuccessful in haftning on Temporal, as they are fure in procuring at laft Eternal Death. Infomuch,that in the Natural courfe of things, from the unavoidable dependancé

that

that Effects have upon their Causes, it is more than probable, that tho' God had not pronounc'd, that in the Day that Adam finn'd he fbould furely dye; yet Sin without this Pofitive and Exprefs Curfe of God upon it, by itsOwn Efficiency, would have brought Mortality into the World; and not only the Wages, but the very Work of Sin, would have been Death, But it is not of This, the First Death, but of the Second Death, even everlasting Death, that the Apostle here speaks. And when all the Other milder Arguments can take no place; when the Emptinefs and Vanity, the Infamy, Bafenefs and Shameful Nature of Sin,can't withdraw us from it, when all the other dif ferent ways, which God ufes to draw us to himfelf, by working upon our Hope, by all the Glorious Rewards he has promis'd, or upon our Love and Gratitude, by his Infinite Goodness and Mercy, and Loving Kindness, prove alike ineffectual; what is there left to awaken Wretches, fo ftupidly infenfible, but to roufe up all their Fears, with the dif mal denunciation of certain Deftruction and eternal Death. Death Eternal, I fay, for fo the Antithefis, which the Apoftle ufes in the end of this Chapter,gives it to be understood. For he speaks of fuch a Death as is oppos'd to Eternal Life, and that must be Eternal Death. The Wages, fays he, of Sin is Death;

but

is

but the Gift of God is Eternal Life. And when the Work of Sin goes fo diligently on, it not high time to found aloud in the Ears of all, that are fo bufy in that Service, what it is they are to expect for their Wages? and if fo warn'd, they will ftill ferve fo hard a Master as Sin, that has not only, no other Recompence for its Slaves but Death, but will not, nay cannot,give them their choice, whether they will receive the Wages, which they have ferv'd for, or no; who can pity Them, or of whom can they complain? Not of God certainly, without the greatest Blafphemy and Injuftice imaginable; He is far from defiring the Death of a Sinner, nay, Death is none of his Creature, God made not Death, fays the Wife Man, He created Man to be Immortal, and made him to be an Image of his own Eternity; Nevertheless thro' the envy of the Devil came Death into theWorld, and they that do hold on his fide do find it: Wild. 2. 23, 24. It is therefore great Impiety, to queftion the Juftice of God, in eternally punishing Wicked Men ; who, would they fide with him, the Author of Life, are proffer'd and invited to everlafting Blifs; but if they choose to fide with the Devil, who brought Death into the World, moft defervedly receive their Portion with him. For is there not the choice offer'd? Is not Life and Death fet before us, that we may ftretch forth

our