beenOneMan that has been abfolutely freed. himself from it. It happening for the most part, that they who would perfwade others, that thefe Notions are Vain and Imaginary without any Foundation in Nature, are themselves the most affaulted with them. This therefore being the Common and Univerfal, the First and Inartificial, the Infe parable and Unconquerable Apprehenfions of Mankind, muft be concluded to be Natural.

Now this being obtain'd, namely, that the Prefage of Punishment for Sin in a Future State is Natural to the Soul of Man, I think it very reasonable to conclude that there is fuch a State; for how can there be a Natural Fear of what is not in Nature? we may as reasonably fufpect the Truth of our Eternal Senfes, of Hearing, Seeing, or Feeling, as the firft genuine inborn Sentiments of our Mind; for if Man was made by God, who is Eternal Truth, the Natural Sense of our Minds must be as true and certain as our Bodily Senfes are; and to say that we are deceiv'd by That, that is, by a Principle, not of our own forming to our felves, but ftampt upon us and born within us, is dangerously to reflect upon the very Author of our Being, the God of Nature himself, and to derogate very much both from his Wisdom and his Goodness.

For

For God having Created Man a Free Agent, has no other way of governing him, but by the Proposals of Reward and Punishment. Force and Compulfion can't be us'd without making him a different fort of Creature from what he was made, by deftroying his Liberty. Therefore Hopes and Fears are the only means proper to work effectually upon Human Nature, and Therefore, they must be True, or else we must have a very unworthy Conceipt of the Infinitely Wife God; namely, that he hath contriv'd the Nature of one of his beft and nobleft Creatures, after fuch a manner, as to make it uncapable of being govern'd with out Falfehood and Deceit. We find that he has endu'd all other of his Creatures with such inward Principles, as are most fit to promote the Perfection of their Kinds, and to preserve 'em from Injuries from with. The Beasts of the Field and the Birds of the Air trust that Instinct he has implanted in 'em, and are never deceiv'd by it; but by its direction fearing and shunning what is hurtful, and defiring and pursuing what is useful to 'em, follow a true and fafe and an unerring Guide. And can it be cre dible that in the Nature of Man only, for whose fake most of those were made, he fhould have fix'd fuch kind of Principles as contain in 'em meer Cheats and Delusions?

out.

Further,

1

1

Further, As there is no Man wholly free from these Fears of a Future State, so there is no other Creature befides Man, that has fuch kind of Fears; and if these are all imaginary and groundless, has not God Created Him in a much worse Condition than the Beafts that perish? Is it agreeable to that Goodness as well as Wisdom, by which he has fram'd all his other Works in such admirable Perfection, that he should Create one only Creature, and that Him who seems to be Lord of all the Reft, to be a perpetual and unneceffary Burden and Torment to himself, and to wear out a miferable Life in needlefs Anxiety and vain Fear of Dreams, Shadows and Impoffibilities? This I judge fufficient to prove, that from the very Apprehenfions that Men generally have of Eternal Punishments after this Life, it is reasonable to infer that such fhall be; and that This Fear of the Wicked. fball Come upon Him. But

2dly, If this be fo highly probable from Reason, it is put out of all doubt by Revelation.

When we have advanc'd so far by the Light of Nature, as to fee how reasonable, even by these Principles only, the Expectation of juft Judgments upon Sinners is ; how can we have the leaft doubt of the Certainty of them, when in plain and exprefs

words

words reveal'd by God, whofe Word alone, without the joint fuffrage of Reason and Nature,is of Authority abundantly fufficient to challenge our ready Affent and most steady Belief in things the most difficult to Appre hend? And to prove that they are fo plainly Reveal'd, there needs no more than to Open the Gospel and Read. There we shall find, a Lake of Fire and Brimftone, Blacknes of Darkness, theWorm that never dieth, and the Fire that never goeth out, ordain'd for the Wicked for ever and ever. And however Bold fome Men may have made with these repeated, pofitive, peremptory Declarations of Scripture, in fuggefting that God is not oblig'd to Execute what he Threatens, that thefe Menaces are only to fecure the good Government of the World, and to fcare Mankind and to keep them in awe, but may be remitted or relaxed at his Will and Pleafure; I think it the Duty of all those whole Errand it is, knowing the Terrors of the Lord to perfwade Men, to keep up a more awful and reverend Esteem of God's Veracity, Immutability, Juftice and Honour in the Minds of Men, than to fuffer the least doubt, whe ther, when he, as a wife Lawgiver and a juft Judge fo folemnly enacted and decreed for Impenitent Sinners the Everlasting Tor ments of Hell Fire, was in Earnest or no? Let us hear but a few Texts of Scripture

to

to this Point ;. God is not a Man that he should Lye, nor the Son of Man that be bould Repent, Hath he faid and fball not be do it, or hath he spoken, and ball not he make it good? Numb. 23. 19. The Strength of Ifrael will not Lye nor Repent, for he is not a Man that he Should Repent. 1 Sam. 15. 29: I am the Lord, I change not. Mal. 3. 6. In Him is no variableness nor shadow of Turning. James 1. 17. and he cannot deny himself. 2 Tim. 2. 13. And if fo, then it is moft infallibly true, that the Fear of the Wicked, Even the Eternal Torments of Hell, that his own guilty Mind prefages, and the juft Judge of the World has denounc'd, ball come upon him.

I should now proceed from this fearful and miferable Eftate of the Sinner, to fhew you the happy Condition of the Righteous, how full of ravishing Defires his Soul is, and how well grounded his Hopes of Immortality. This would raise our Spirits from the Damp that thefe melancholly, but important Confiderations, may have brought upon 'em, and open a New and Bright Scene of Comfort and Joy and Glory. But time will not permit, I must therefore only make as fhort an Application as may be of what has been faid.

Since then the Wicked is in this Life tortur'd with continual Trouble and Fear; what Care, what Caution can we think too

much,