them over to a Reprobate Mind, brings 'em by fteps in the end to the last degree of harden'd Infidelity and downright Atheism; So on the contrary a Love to Virtue and Goodness firft makes an Eafy way for the Believing and Embraceing the Truths of the Gospel, and by a conftant perseverance and practice of the plain indispensable Dutys, the Grace of God accompanying and rewarding Obedience with further degrees of Faith, even the moft abftrufe and exalted Myfterys of Religion, are fo heartily and firmly beliey'd at laft, as to admit of no doubt or wavering. Such a Chriftians Experience and Inward Perception of the Goodness, as well as the Truth, of Religion is more convincing than the most study'd Arguments; he is too much taken up in its commands to have any leisure to cavil at its Doctrines; he relys with full affurance on the gracious Promises reveal'd in Scripture, and finds too much comfort in the Word of God to raise any doubts concerning the Truth of it. No more than a Man that had given him a great Estate, and has the Deeds of it put in his Own hands, would fet himself on work to find out Flaws in them, and be himself the firft that should queftion the Goodness of his Own Title.

Haying thus fhewn, that it is the Goodnefs or the Evilnefs of the Heart, by which we either believe unto Righteousness, or else depart from the Living God. 1 fhall proceed

in the

II. Second place, To exhort that we take efpecial Care left there be in any of Us an Evil Heart of Unbelief, and that upon the Account of the Inexcufable Folly of Wilfull Infidelity, as well as the Inexpreffible Danger of it.

For firft, because it is not for the Interest of the Wicked Man, that there fhould be any Truth in that Religion which pronounces fo fevere a Condemnation to his Practices, and because he can't help therefore wishing that there were no fuch thing; to conclude from hence that 'tis falfe, is not this the most unreasonable and moft abfurd Folly in the World? What can be more against the common dictates of Reafon, than when a Judgment is to be made in matters that concern no less than Eternal Happyness and Eternal Misery, for Men not to give at least a fair unprejudic'd unbyafs'd hearing; but to fuffer the Underftanding, that is the Judge, to be moft Thamefully Brib'd by the Affections, that are Partys; and inftead of framing their Wills to follow what Reafon teaches, to

find

find out how Reafon may feem to teach that which their Wills were fet and propos'd to Believe? Let Men only Act in this their Greateft, their Everlasting concern, with the fame ordinary Prudence and Discretion that they use in other matters, things of common use and every Days Bufinefs. They have a great mind this or that fhould not be true, they are undone if it is. But will this ferve their Turn? or will their Wishes, be they never fo ftrong, make that which they are fo much concern'd for, either True or Falfe in itself? No Man in his Senses ever thinks fo, but immediately fets about providing against all those Inconveniencys and Mischiefs which would certainly fall upon him, if what he has fo difmal an Apprehenfion of fhould come to Pafs. This I am fure ought much more to be the firft Care of all those that cannot think of an Eternity of Rewards and Punishments without Horror and Dread; this ought certainly to be the very first Thing they fet about, to remove all thofe Sins and to put away far from them all those Wickedneffes that make the Thoughts and Belief of a future State fo Terrible. This is a Juft and Wife Conduct, and fure nothing lefs than this can fatisfy a Reasonable Man. The other Course, that the Wicked Wretch generally takes, becomes only fuch as, can

be

be guilty of that degree of Madness as to think Their Inclinations can alter the Nature of Things, and put God out of the World. Can any Man answer this Conduct to his own Reason, or be excus'd from the imputation of unexpreffible Folly if he Eternally perish by it? There are indeed a fort of Men, that let their Works be what they will, think themselves Saints and sure to be Sav'd, if they have but a ftrong Faith and inward Perfuafion that they shall be fo. This is a moft Abfurd, as well as Dangerous and Destructive Opinion, to think to be Sav'd only by a Strong Belief: but certainly theirs is full as Dangerous and Foolish too, that can thus think, not indeed to attain Salvation, but to escape Damnation by as strong an Unbelief.

But Secondly, The worst of it is, which further fhews the lamentable Folly of these Wretches, they can never arrive even to this, to an Unbelief ftrong enough for their Purpose. The thing that they shun ftill follows'em, Truth ever as it were obtruding itself upon their Minds, and not permitting 'em to be fo Ignorant as they would be. All their strugling to deface the Knowledge of a God, and Apprehenfions of his Juftice, and a Future Day of Recompence, by wilfully oppofing the Belief of them, will not do their Bufinefs, will

not

not quite Ease or Quiet their Minds here, will not give any prefent Satisfaction or Repose. At least never fo Effectual so Lasting a Quiet, but that by Fits and Turns, fometime or other, on a Sick Bed, or fome amazing Accident, thefe Natural Impreffions will return with greater Force and ftronger Conviction. God's Vice-gerent in their own Breaft, Confcience, labour they never fo much to ftiffle it, will rouse up and affert the Being of Him that planted it in their Hearts: Will affert his Being with all the Terrors of his juft Judgments, and represent Him in a much more Tremendous and Dreadful Figure for having been fo long, and with fo much contempt banifh'd from all their Thoughts. For Wickedneẞ condemn'd by her Own Witness is very timorous, and being preft with Confcience always forecafteth grievous things, as the Wife Man tells us Wifdom 17. 11. And of Episurus himfelf, whom Lucretius magnifys fo much and equals to a God for this very reafon, for having got a Clear and Abfolute Victory, as he speaks, over Religion and all its idle Fears; Even of this mighty Boaster, Cotta in Tully affures us that Never any Man in the whole World was known fo much afraid of thofe things, which he fo ftiffly maintain'd, no Man in his Senfes ought ever to fear Mortem & Deos, Death and