as to Happiness or Mifery, in this World and that to come. And That in feveral Inftances; particularly in the Fears of theOne, and the Defires of the Other; what they are at prefent, The Defire of the Righteous is only Good, but the Expectation of the Wicked is Wrath: Chap. 11.23. and what shall be their Iffue in the words of the Text, The Fear of the Wicked it shall come upon Him, but the De fire of the Righteous shall be granted.

From which Words I fhall lay down the following Propofitions, as Subjects for this prefent Difcourse.

I. That the State of the Wicked is a State of Fear, presuppos'd in the words, The Fear of the Wicked.

II. That this is far from a groundless Fear, It shall come upon Him.

III. That on the Contrary the State of the Righteous is a State of Defire and Hope. IV. That this is a Just Defire and well grounded Hope, It shall be Granted.

And Laftly, by way of Application, when these two different States have been fairly represented to you, I fhall leave it to your own Judgments, which of these two Conditions ye will choose. I begin with the

I. That the State of the Wicked is a State of Fear, and that a Fear

First, Natural, arising from the first inbred Notions of the Mind, concerning the Effential differences between Good and Evil. For that there is fuch a Law of Nature, by which things are diftinguifh'd into Good and Bad, and from which the Actions of Men are properly denominated either Virtuous or Vicious, has not only been the conftant agreeing Voice of Mankind,but is so woven into our very Conftitution and Frame, that a Man needs but look into himself, and confult the experience of what paffes within his own Breaft to find, That his Mind has a Rational, as well as his Flesh a Senfible kind of Feeling; that his Soul is endu'd with as true and distinct a Perception of Moral, as his Body of Phyfical, Good and Evil; and that Conscience does asNaturally distinguish between Virtue and Vice, as Senfe does between Pleasure and Pain. And by this Light of Reason, this Candle of the Lord fet up in the Heart, it is easily discover'd, that as Goodness or Virtue does in the Effence of it imply a present Fitness or Comeliness, and raifes an Expectation of Juft Praife and Future Reward; fo on the other hand, Vice or Sin carries with it the Idea of Difagreeableness and Turpitude at prefent, and a ftrong Apprehenfion of Blame and Punishment to come. From whence it follows, that from the firft Commitment of Sin there

refults

results neceffarily and unavoidably in the Mind both Shame and Fear: Shame for the Vileness of it, and Fear, for the Vengeance due to it. And the firft Vengeance that is executed upon Sin is this very Fear itself of Vengeance. Prima eft hæc Ultio, as even the Heathen Poet witneffes, that the Wicked Wretch receives immediate Condemnation from himfelf: tho' all the other Courts in the World should abfolve him, yet it is not in the Power of a pack'd Jury, or a Corrupted Judge, to fet a Man clear with his own Breaft, to filence the Evidence he bears about himself, or brow-beat or overrule those thousand Witneffes within. Hence it is, that when a Man has done any Villanous Act, tho' in the highest Place and Power, and fo above the Fear of Human Juftice; or in the closest Retirement and deepest Secrecy, and fo out of the Reach of Human Knowledge or Difcovery: yet his Confcience for all that, fmites him with Trembling and Horror, and depresses him to a perpetual Trepidation and Poornefs of Spirit. And all this, because he has heard a Condemning Sentence from within, which the fecret Forebodings of his own Mind tell him will be ratify'd by a fad and certain Execution from above. This is moft certainly fo;and whatever outward appearances may be, whatever fhew of Bravery the most

profperous

Profperous Villany may put on, we fhould be mightily deceiv'd, if we fhould from thence judge, that a Man, who has a load of any Enormous Guilt upon him, can have any True Peace, or Refolution, or Confidence, or Affurance within. No, neither Walls, nor Barrs, nor Company, nor Watches, nor Guards can keep out Guilty Fears from forcibly intruding in upon him, and making their way to his Heart. But as Eliphaz fpeaking of the Wicked fays: A found of Fears is ever in his Ears, In Profperity the Destroyer fball come upon him, He knoweth that the Day of Darkness is ready at his hand, Trouble and Anguifh fhall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him as a King ready to the Battel. Job 15. 21. 24. Every Great Offence and Prefumptuous Crime is a Domeftick Fury, that perpetually affrights the Wretch that it poffeffes, fends faintnefs into his Heart, fo that a fhaken Leaf shall chase him, makes him flee when none purfues; makes him like Cain, with the guilt of his Brother's Blood upon him, take Every one he meets for his Executioner, and cry out in the bitterness of his Soul; Behold, it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall flay me. This is the terrible Eftate of more than ordinary heinous Sinners, and holds in proportion to be true of all others, according to the different degrees of the flagitioufnels of

their Crimes: Infomuch that there is no Sin fo small, but has its Measure and Proportion of Fear attending it. There is always a Fear of Temporal Evils that poffeffes the Wicked whether it is, Left their hidden Villanies fhould be found out, and so the Sword of fecular Juftice, which is not born in vain, should overtake them; Or left Private Revenge for bold Injuries and Infolent Oppreffions, when Publick Revenge fleeps, fhould Rouse up and confume them; Or for fuch Crimes, as Laws take no hold of, as Falsehood, Treachery, Hypocrify, Ingratitude, and the like, left the common Hatred, and general Scorn, and juft Indignation of Mankind fhould fall upon 'em; Or left for fome Sins, fuch as are Idlenefs and Prodi-, gality, Poverty come on 'em as one that travelleth,and their Want like an armed Man ; Or left for Others, fuch as are Luft and Intemperance, Painful and Foul and Odious Difeafes, fhould lay waft their most flourishing Conftitutions, and bring Trembling in the Joyuts, and Rottennefs in the Bones. But besides these Fears of the Evil things of this World, tho' they are fufficiently tormenting and able to imbitter all the fweets of Sin, there is a Fear, as Natural, but much more amazing and confounding; that there is in referve beyond these an Unfeen and Allmighty Vengeance to come, which the fenfe

of